The linguistic relevance of tree adjoining grammar (original) (raw)
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This project addresses the formal nature of grammars, from a mathematical and computational point of view, and asks which the requirements that natural languages impose the theoretician in developing a grammar are. We propose to revisit the so-called Chomsky Hierarchy, an inclusive hierarchy of formal grammars, under the light of recent developments in Biolinguistics and computational / mathematical linguistics; for the kind of transformational system advocated for in generative linguistics is often not appropriate to account for problematic data from natural languages, particularly adopting a comparative perspective.
2011
Stabler proposes an implementation of the Chomskyan Minimalist Program, [1] with Minimalist Grammars-MG, [2]. This framework inherits a long linguistic tradition. But the semantic calculus is more easily added if one uses the Curry-Howard isomorphism. Minimalist Categorial Grammars-MCG, based on an extension of the Lambek calculus, the mixed logic, were introduced to provide a theoreticallymotivated syntax-semantics interface, [3]. In this article, we give full definitions of MG with algebraic tree descriptions and of MCG, and take the first steps towards giving a proof of inclusion of their generated languages. The Minimalist Program-MP, introduced by Chomsky, [1], unified more than fifty years of linguistic research in a theoretical way. MP postulates that a logical form and a sound could be derived from syntactic relations. Stabler, [2], proposes a framework for this program in a computational perspective with Minimalist Grammars-MG. These grammars inherit a long tradition of generative linguistics. The most interesting contribution of these grammars is certainly that the derivation system is defined with only two rules: merge and move. The word Minimalist is introduced in this perspective of simplicity of the definitions of the framework. If the merge rule seems to be classic for this kind of treatment, the second rule, move, accounts for the main concepts of this theory and makes it possible to modify relations between elements in the derived structure. Even if the phonological calculus is already defined, the logical one is more complex to express. Recently, solutions were explored that exploited Curry's distinction between tectogrammatical and phenogrammatical levels; for example, Lambda Grammars, [4], Abstract Categorial Grammars, [5], and Convergent Grammars [6]. First steps for a convergence between the Generative Theory and Categorial Grammars are due to S. Epstein, [7]. A full volume of Language and Computation proposes several articles in this perspective, [8], in particular [9], and Cornell's works on links between Lambek calculus and Transformational Grammars, [10]. Formulations of Minimalist Grammars in a Type-Theoretic way have also been proposed in [11], [12], [13]. These frameworks were evolved in [14], [3], [15] for the syntax-semantics interface. Defining a syntax-semantics interface is complex. In his works, Stabler proposes to include this treatment directly in MG. But interactions between syntax
The Semantics of Grammar Formalisms Seen as Computer Languages
1984
The design, implementation, and use of grammar forma]isms for natural language have constituted a major branch of coml)utational linguistics throughout its development. By viewing grammar formalisms as just a special ease of computer languages, we can take advantage of the machinery of denotational semantics to provide a precise specification of their meaning. Using Dana Scott's domain theory, we elucidate the nature of the feature systems used in augmented phrase-structure grammar formalisms, in particular those of recent versions of generalized phrase structure grammar, lexical functional grammar and PATR-I1, and provide a (lcnotational semantics for a simple grammar formalism. We find that the mathematical structures developed for this purpose contain an operation of feature generalization, not available in those grammar formalisms, that can be used to give a partial account of the effect of coordination on syntactic features.
A Constructive Mathematic approach for Natural Language formal grammars
2009
A mathematical description of natural language grammars has been proposed first by Leibniz. After the definition given by Frege of unsaturated expression and the foundation of a logical grammar by Husserl, the application of logic to treat natural language grammars in a computational way raised the interest of linguists, for example applying Lambek's categorial calculus.
2024
TheBench is a tool to study monadic structures in natural language. It is for writing monadic grammars to explore analyses, compare diverse languages through their categories, and to train models of grammar from form-meaning pairs where syntax is latent variable. Monadic structures are binary combinations of elements that employ semantics of composition only. TheBench is essentially old-school categorial grammar to syntacticize the idea, with the implication that although syntax is autonomous (recall \emph{colorless green ideas sleep furiously}), the treasure is in the baggage it carries at every step, viz. semantics, more narrowly, predicate-argument structures indicating choice of categorial reference and its consequent placeholders for decision in such structures. There is some new thought in old school. Unlike traditional categorial grammars, application is turned into composition in monadic analysis. Moreover, every correspondence requires specifying two command relations, one on syntactic command and the other on semantic command. A monadic grammar of TheBench contains only synthetic elements (called `objects' in category theory of mathematics) that are shaped by this analytic invariant, viz. composition. Both ingredients (command relations) of any analytic step must therefore be functions (`arrows' in category theory). TheBench is one implementation of the idea for iterative development of such functions along with grammar of synthetic elements.