Syntactic and Semantic Constraints on the Structure of the Adverbial Accusative of Cause and Purpose (al-mafʿūl lahu) According to Arabic Grammarians

2021 ◽  
pp. 444-463
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Constraints

A Functional Explanation of French Nonlexical Datives

1985 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betsy K. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Functional Explanation ◽  
Semantic Constraints ◽  
Syntactic Constraints

The unity of French lexical and nonlexical uses of the dative clitic is made apparent by a functional analysis according to which the dative clitic always represents a 'theme' of the sentence, where thematicity is defined as greater relative saliency based on certain purely semantic (not pragmatic) properties and relations of arguments. The operation of certain semantic constraints on the nonlexical datives, which may be very approximately summarized as requiring that the dative complement be animate and that it be somehow affected by the act denoted by the rest of the VP, follows naturally, in accord with Dik's Markedness Hypothesis (Dik (1978)), from the view that the nonlexical datives represent a 'thematization' of an element which is otherwise (in alternative nondative constructions) represented as peripheral to the described event. The more limited occurrence of á-NP in nonlexical dative environments is explained by reference to general syntactic constraints on the language, together with the fact that à-NP, unlike the dative clitic, tends to be interpreted as an argument of V.

Geometry simplification according to semantic constraints

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ladenhauf ◽  
René Berndt ◽  
Ulrich Krispel ◽  
Eva Eggeling ◽  
Torsten Ullrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Constraints ◽  
Geometry Simplification

A Synchronic Perspective on the Grammaticalisation of will in Hypothetical Predicates

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra Ziegeler
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Semantic Constraints ◽  
Distributional Limits

Current works on grammaticalisation have discussed the tendency for older, lexically-based meanings to continue to adhere to the grammaticalising item in a situation described as 'retention' (Bybee & Pagliuca, 1987), and for these meanings to impose semantic constraints affecting the grammatical distribution of the item in some present-day environments. The present study will examine the restrictions on the use of the modal will (represented in its backshifted form would) in the hypothetical predicates of the verb wish, and, using a small sample of native-speaker informants, statistically-based suggestions will be proposed regarding the distributional limits on the grammaticalisation of the modal as a future auxiliary.

Consistency Management in Feature-Based Parametric Design

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Parametric Design ◽  
Automatic Generation ◽  
Fundamental Principle ◽  
Consistency Management ◽  
Semantic Constraints ◽  
Evaluation Time ◽  
Feature Based ◽  
Consistent Feature ◽  
Semantic Correctness ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract One of the main problems to be solved in design-by-features is to preserve the semantic correctness of feature-based models. Currently, feature-based parametric design (FbPD) is being used as one of the most powerful approaches for solving this problem. In this paper, a fundamental principle of this approach is introduced. Three aspects stated, are: FbPD deals with functional design primitives, it solves the automatic generation of model variations, and it offers the basis for the development of a mechanism to check the semantic correctness of feature-based models. Several concepts for the definition of semantic constraints are presented. They instigate the classification of semantic constraints in four different categories, based on the constraint evaluation-time, purpose, behaviour, and representation. Sinfonia, a system for feature-based parametric design, is presented as a testbed environment for design-by-features applications. One of its modules, the Consistency Handler, uses the constraint concepts introduced in order to preserve the semantic consistency of the models. Several examples illustrate the different types of constraints. In addition, an algorithm applied for the process of a consistent feature modification is presented.

scholarly journals Anaphora resolution without world knowledge

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilson J. Leffa
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Expository Text ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Schema Theory ◽  
Anaphora Resolution ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
World Knowledge ◽  
Semantic Constraints ◽  
Pronominal Anaphora ◽  
Sentence Subject

A typical problem in the resolution of pronominal anaphora is the presence of more than one candidate for the antecedent of the pronoun. Considering two English sentences like (1) "People buy expensive cars because they offer more status" and (2) "People buy expensive cars because they want more status" we can see that the two NPs "people" and "expensive cars", from a purely syntactic perspective, are both legitimate candidates as antecedents for the pronoun "they". This problem has been traditionally solved by using world knowledge (e.g. schema theory), where, through an internal representation of the world, we "know" that cars "offer" status and people "want" status. The assumption in this paper is that the use of world knowledge does not explain how the disambiguation process works and alternative explanations should be explored. Using a knowledge poor approach (explicit information from the text rather than implicit world knowledge) the study investigates to what extent syntactic and semantic constraints can be used to resolve anaphora. For this purpose, 1,400 examples of the word "they" were randomly selected from a corpus of 10,000,000 words of expository text in English. Antecedent candidates for each case were then analyzed and classified in terms of their syntactic functions in the sentence (subject, object, etc.) and semantic features (+ human, + animate, etc.). It was found that syntactic constraints resolved 85% of the cases. When combined with semantic constraints the resolution rate rose to 98%. The implications of the findings for Natural Language Processing are discussed.

Plurals as modifiers in Dutch and English noun-noun compounds express plurality in production

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arina Banga ◽  
Esther Hanssen ◽  
Anneke Neijt ◽  
Robert Schreuder
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Semantic Constraints ◽  
Noun Compounds ◽  
English Noun

The present study investigates the relation between conceptual plurality and the occurrence of a plural morpheme in novel Dutch and English noun-noun compounds. Using a picture-naming task, we compared the naming responses of native Dutch speakers and native English speakers to pictures depicting either one or multiple instances of the same object serving as a possible modifier in a novel noun-noun compound. While the speakers of both languages most frequently produced novel compounds containing a singular modifier, they also used compounds containing a plural modifier and did this more often to describe a picture with several instances of an object than to describe a picture with one instance of the object. Speakers of English incorporated some regular plurals into the noun-noun compounds they produced. These results contradict the words-and-rules theory of Pinker (1999) and also the semantic constraints for compounding put forth by Alegre and Gordon (1996). Interestingly, it appears, however, that the acceptability constraints put forth by Haskell, MacDonald, and Seidenberg (2003) apply to the production of compounds.

SEMANTIC CONSTRAINTS AND SENTENCE PERCEPTION

1976 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-173
Author(s):  
STEPHEN E. NEWSTEAD
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Constraints
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