Constraint Logic Programming for Natural Language Processing

This paper proposes an evaluation of the adequacy of the constraint logic programming paradigm for natural language processing. Theoretical aspects of this question have been discussed in several works. We adopt here a pragmatic point of view and our argumentation relies on concrete solutions. Using actual contraints (in the CLP sense) is neither easy nor direct. However, CLP can improve parsing techniques in several aspects such as concision, control, efficiency or direct representation of linguistic formalism. This discussion is illustrated by several examples and the presentation of an HPSG parser.Comment: 15 pages, uuencoded and compressed postscript to appear in Proceedings of the 5th Int. Workshop on Natural Language Understanding and Logic Programming. Lisbon, Portugal. 199

Designing Software Architectures As a Composition of Specializations of Knowledge Domains

This paper summarizes our experimental research and software development activities in designing robust, adaptable and reusable software architectures. Several years ago, based on our previous experiences in object-oriented software development, we made the following assumption: ‘A software architecture should be a composition of specializations of knowledge domains’. To verify this assumption we carried out three pilot projects. In addition to the application of some popular domain analysis techniques such as use cases, we identified the invariant compositional structures of the software architectures and the related knowledge domains. Knowledge domains define the boundaries of the adaptability and reusability capabilities of software systems. Next, knowledge domains were mapped to object-oriented concepts. We experienced that some aspects of knowledge could not be directly modeled in terms of object-oriented concepts. In this paper we describe our approach, the pilot projects, the experienced problems and the adopted solutions for realizing the software architectures. We conclude the paper with the lessons that we learned from this experience

Multi-Dimensional Inheritance

In this paper, we present an alternative approach to multiple inheritance for typed feature structures. In our approach, a feature structure can be associated with several types coming from different hierarchies (dimensions). In case of multiple inheritance, a type has supertypes from different hierarchies. We contrast this approach with approaches based on a single type hierarchy where a feature structure has only one unique most general type, and multiple inheritance involves computation of greatest lower bounds in the hierarchy. The proposed approach supports current linguistic analyses in constraint-based formalisms like HPSG, inheritance in the lexicon, and knowledge representation for NLP systems. Finally, we show that multi-dimensional inheritance hierarchies can be compiled into a Prolog term representation, which allows to compute the conjunction of two types efficiently by Prolog term unification.Comment: 9 pages, styles: a4,figfont,eepic,eps

Temporal Phylogenetic Networks and Logic Programming

The concept of a temporal phylogenetic network is a mathematical model of evolution of a family of natural languages. It takes into account the fact that languages can trade their characteristics with each other when linguistic communities are in contact, and also that a contact is only possible when the languages are spoken at the same time. We show how computational methods of answer set programming and constraint logic programming can be used to generate plausible conjectures about contacts between prehistoric linguistic communities, and illustrate our approach by applying it to the evolutionary history of Indo-European languages. To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP)

A Context-Oriented Extension of F#

Context-Oriented programming languages provide us with primitive constructs to adapt program behaviour depending on the evolution of their operational environment, namely the context. In previous work we proposed ML_CoDa, a context-oriented language with two-components: a declarative constituent for programming the context and a functional one for computing. This paper describes the implementation of ML_CoDa as an extension of F#.Comment: In Proceedings FOCLASA 2015, arXiv:1512.0694

Keberkesanan modul infusi kemahiran berfikir aras tinggi pembelajaran luar bilik darjah (iKBAT-PLBD) bagi bidang pembelajaran sukatan dan geometri

Kemahiran berfikir aras tinggi (KBAT) merupakan satu kemahiran berfikir yang sangat diperlukan dalam mendepani cabaran kehidupan masa kini terutama dalam bidang matematik. Oleh itu, kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengkaji sama ada KBAT matematik pelajar dapat ditingkatkan dengan menggunakan modul infusi Kemahiran Berfikir Aras Tinggi - Pembelajaran Luar Bilik Darjah (iKBAT–PLBD) atau tidak? Justeru itu, satu kerangka perancangan telah dibuat terhadap empat kemahiran tertinggi dalam Taksonomi Bloom semakan semula yang juga merupakan konstruk utama dalam KBAT. Konstruk KBAT tersebut ialah konstruk menganlisis, mengaplikasi menilai dan mencipta. Sampel kajian ini melibatkan 120 pelajar tingkatan 1 di empat buah sekolah yang berbeza di negeri Johor. Dalam menjalankan kajian kuasi eksperimental ini, data dikumpul melalui kajian keputusan ujian pra dan ujian pos sebelum dan selepas menggunakan modul bagi kumpulan rawatan. Manakala pendekatan PdP tradisional pula digunakan bagi kumpulan kawalan. Hasil daripada analisis data menunjukkan bahawa aktiviti pembelajaran dan pemudahcaraan (PdPc) yang bertunjangkan modul iKBAT–PLBD telah dapat meningkatkan penguasaan matematik pelajar dalam kempat-empat tahap KBAT serta bagi keseluruhan tahap. Dapatan kajian ini menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan yang signifikasi antara kumpulan kawalan dan kumpulan rawatan terhadap peningkatan KBAT pelajar dalam matematik dengan menggunakan pendekatan iKBAT–PLBD bagi tahap mengaplikasi, menganalisis, menilai, mencipta juga secara keseluruhan. Kesimpulannya, kajian ini dapat memberi manfaat kepada semua pihak termasuk pihak Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (KPM), pihak pentadbiran sekolah, ibubapa, guru matematik malah bagi pelajar itu dari segi pengubalan dasar yang berkaitan, pengaplikasian dan sebagai satu bukti keberkesanan dalam proses pemerkasaan KBAT matematik di Malaysia

Peirce's sign theory as an open-source R package.

Throughout Peirce’s writing, we witness his developing vision of a machine that scientists will eventually be able to create. Nadin (2010) raised the question:Why do computer scientists continue to ignore Peirce’s sign theory? A review of the literature on Peirce’s theory and the semiotics machine reveals that many authors discussed the machine;however, they donot differentiate between a physical computer machine and its software. This paper discusses the problematic issues involved in converting Peirce’s theory into a programming language, machine and software application. We demonstrate this challenge by introducing Peirce’s sign theory as a software application that runs under an open-source R environmen

An Abstract Machine for Unification Grammars

This work describes the design and implementation of an abstract machine, Amalia, for the linguistic formalism ALE, which is based on typed feature structures. This formalism is one of the most widely accepted in computational linguistics and has been used for designing grammars in various linguistic theories, most notably HPSG. Amalia is composed of data structures and a set of instructions, augmented by a compiler from the grammatical formalism to the abstract instructions, and a (portable) interpreter of the abstract instructions. The effect of each instruction is defined using a low-level language that can be executed on ordinary hardware. The advantages of the abstract machine approach are twofold. From a theoretical point of view, the abstract machine gives a well-defined operational semantics to the grammatical formalism. This ensures that grammars specified using our system are endowed with well defined meaning. It enables, for example, to formally verify the correctness of a compiler for HPSG, given an independent definition. From a practical point of view, Amalia is the first system that employs a direct compilation scheme for unification grammars that are based on typed feature structures. The use of amalia results in a much improved performance over existing systems. In order to test the machine on a realistic application, we have developed a small-scale, HPSG-based grammar for a fragment of the Hebrew language, using Amalia as the development platform. This is the first application of HPSG to a Semitic language.Comment: Doctoral Thesis, 96 pages, many postscript figures, uses pstricks, pst-node, psfig, fullname and a macros fil