The complexity of context: Guest editors' introduction

Cataloged from PDF version of article.As with other widely used notions that are commonly referred to in everyday activities without much hesitation, context is difficult to analyze scientifically and grasp in all its different demeanors. In our routine communicative activities, context is exploited both in production and in comprehension, and is strictly related to another problematic notion, viz. meaning. Thus Bateson (1979: 15): ‘‘Without context, words and actions have no meaning at all. This is true not only of human communication in words but also of all communication whatsoever, of all mental process, of all mind, including that which tells the sea anemone how to grow and the amoeba what he should do next.’’..

Formalizing graphical notations

The thesis describes research into graphical notations for software engineering, with a principal interest in ways of formalizing them. The research seeks to provide a theoretical basis that will help in designing both notations and the software tools that process them. The work starts from a survey of literature on notation, followed by a review of techniques for formal description and for computational handling of notations. The survey concentrates on collecting views of the benefits and the problems attending notation use in software development; the review covers picture description languages, grammars and tools such as generic editors and visual programming environments. The main problem of notation is found to be a lack of any coherent, rigorous description methods. The current approaches to this problem are analysed as lacking in consensus on syntax specification and also lacking a clear focus on a defined concept of notated expression. To address these deficiencies, the thesis embarks upon an exploration of serniotic, linguistic and logical theory; this culminates in a proposed formalization of serniosis in notations, using categorial model theory as a mathematical foundation. An argument about the structure of sign systems leads to an analysis of notation into a layered system of tractable theories, spanning the gap between expressive pictorial medium and subject domain. This notion of 'tectonic' theory aims to treat both diagrams and formulae together. The research gives details of how syntactic structure can be sketched in a mathematical sense, with examples applying to software development diagrams, offering a new solution to the problem of notation specification. Based on these methods, the thesis discusses directions for resolving the harder problems of supporting notation design, processing and computer-aided generic editing. A number of future research areas are thereby opened up. For practical trial of the ideas, the work proceeds to the development and partial implementation of a system to aid the design of notations and editors. Finally the thesis is evaluated as a contribution to theory in an area which has not attracted a standard approach

El significado ilocutivo en una base de conocimiento: El caso de las peticiones

This paper focuses on conventionalized requests such as Can you X?, which are here considered to be constructions or entrenched parings of form and function. We first offer a concise account of how such illocutionary constructions have been approached from the point of view of Construction Grammar, to then provide the reader with their computational treatment within the knowledge base for Natural Language Processing systems known as FunGramKB. In so doing, four constructional domains are formalized in the COREL metalanguage. The overall aim of this paper is to contribute further evidence that the construction-based approach, which lies at the basis of the FunGramKB Grammaticon, is relevant for the investigation of language processingEste artículo se centra en peticiones convencionalizadas como Can you X? (Puedes…?), que aquí se entienden como construcciones o pares de forma y significado. En primer lugar ofrecemos una descripción concisa de dichas construcciones ilocutivas desde el punto de vista de la Gramática de Construcciones, para después presentar un tratamiento computacional de las mismas dentro de la base de conocimiento para el Procesamiento del Lenguaje Natural denominada FunGramKB. Al hacerlo, proponemos la formalización de cuatro dominios construccionales a través del metalenguaje COREL. El objetivo general de este artículo es aportar evidencias de que el enfoque construccionista, en el que se basa el Gramaticón de FunGramKB, es relevante para la investigación del procesamiento del lenguajeThis article is based on the R&D Project within the framework of the Programa Operativo FEDER Andalucía 2014-2020, Junta de Andalucía, code B-HUM177-UGR1

Illocutionary meaning in a knowledge Base: The case of requests

This paper focuses on conventionalized requests such as Can you X?, which are here considered to be constructions or entrenched parings of form and function. We first offer a concise account of how such illocutionary constructions have been approached from the point of view of Construction Grammar, to then provide the reader with their computational treatment within the knowledge base for Natural Language Processing systems known as FunGramKB. In so doing, four constructional domains are formalized in the COREL metalanguage. The overall aim of this paper is to contribute further evidence that the construction-based approach, which lies at the basis of the FunGramKB Grammaticon, is relevant for the investigation of language processingEste artículo se centra en peticiones convencionalizadas como Can you X? (Puedes…?), que aquí se entienden como construcciones o pares de forma y significado. En primer lugar ofrecemos una descripción concisa de dichas construcciones ilocutivas desde el punto de vista de la Gramática de Construcciones, para después presentar un tratamiento computacional de las mismas dentro de la base de conocimiento para el Procesamiento del Lenguaje Natural denominada FunGramKB. Al hacerlo, proponemos la formalización de cuatro dominios construccionales a través del metalenguaje COREL. El objetivo general de este artículo es aportar evidencias de que el enfoque construccionista, en el que se basa el Gramaticón de FunGramKB, es relevante para la investigación del procesamiento del lenguaj

Semiotic Analysis of Computer Visualization

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the semiotic approach to form theory of computer visualization. Such theory should be the foundation of design, development, and evaluations of visualization systems. The “direct” semiotic analysis of visualization is defined and the scheme of the analysis is considered. This analysis reveals “who is who” in the process of the visualization semiosis and helps in design and development of the real visualization systems. The analysis allows to describe the problems arising at developments of specialized systems in terms of the semiotics and showing how this analysis can serve as a tool for the visualization systems design. It is important to analyze the sign nature of the human‐computer interface and the visualization. Such conceptions as computer metaphor, metaphor action, and metaphor formula are defined. The properties of metaphors are analyzed with a view to possible usage of metaphors for specific applications. The properties are considered by the example of the hierarchical sequence of the natural Room‐Building‐City (Landscape) metaphors. Also the properties of the molecule metaphor are considered in the context of software visualization systems. In conclusion, some approaches to the theory of computer visualization are outlined

Is "Back to my Point" a Pragmatic Marker? : an Inquiry into the Historical Development of some Metatextual Discourse Management Markers in English

Discourse management markers (DMMs) that "signal a meta-comment on the structure of the discourse" (Fraser 2009) are widely attested in historical data. Most discourse management markers (e.g. and, anyway, by the way, but, now, then) meet well-known criteria for pragmatic markers such as multifunctionality, opacity, optionality, (inter)subjectivity, relatively high frequency, and shortness. However, several cited in Fraser (2009), many of them topic-orientation markers, do not (e.g. back to my original point, to return to my previous topic, if I might continue). I propose that an account of the development of DMMs make a distinction between adverbial adjuncts, conjunct adverbials, and pragmatic markers (e.g. Hasselgård 2010). By hypothesis, change may occur along the cline: adverbial adjuncts > conjunct adverbials (> DMMs). This approach accounts for gradual form-meaning shifts and is consistent with a usage perspective on language as a dynamic system grounded in usage events (Kemmer & Barlow 1999; Langacker 2008).Els marcadors de gestió del discurs (DMM) que "assenyalen un metacomentari sobre l'estructura del discurs" (Fraser 2009) estan àmpliament provats per les dades històriques. La majoria de marcadors de gestió del discurs (per exemple, and, anyway, by the way, but, now, then) compleixen criteris ben coneguts per als marcadors pragmàtics com la multifuncionalitat, l'opacitat, l'opcionalitat, la (inter)subjectivitat, la freqüència relativament alta i la brevetat. Tanmateix, diversos casos citats a Fraser (2009), molts d'aquests marcadors d'orientació temàtica, no els compleixen (per exemple, back to my original point, to return to my previous topic, if I might continue). Proposo que un acostament al desenvolupament dels DMM faci una distinció entre adverbis adjunts, adverbis conjunts i marcadors pragmàtics (per exemple, Hasselgård 2010). Hipotèticament, el canvi pot seguir la tendència: adverbis adjunts > adverbis conjunts (> DMM). Aquest enfocament explica canvis graduals de forma i significat, i és coherent amb una perspectiva d'ús del llenguatge com a sistema dinàmic basat en esdeveniments d'ús (Kemmer & Barlow 1999; Langacker 2008)