The application of two-level morphology to non-concatenative German morphology

In this paper I describe a hybrid system for morphological analysis and synthesis. This system consists of two parts. The treatment of morphonology and non-concatenative morphology is based on the two-level approach proposed by Koskenniemi (1983). For the concatenative part of morphosyntax (i.e. affixation) a grammar based on feature-unification is made use of. Both parts rely on a morph lexicon. Combinations of two-level morphology with feature-based morphosyntactic grammars have already been proposed by several authors (c.f. Bear 1988a, Carson 1988, Görz & Paulus 1988, Schiller & Steffens 1989) to overcome the shortcomings of the continuation-classes originally proposed by Koskenniemi (1983) and Karttunen (1983) for the description of morphosyntax. But up to now no linguistically satisfying solution has been proposed for the treatment of non-concatenative morphology in such a framework. In this paper I describe an extension to the model which will allow for the description of such phenomena. Namely it is proposed to restrict the applicability of two-level rules by providing them with filters in the form of feature structures. It is demonstrated how a well-known problem of German morphology, so-called "Umlautung", can be described in this approach in a linguistically motivated and efficient way

Linking typed feature formalisms and terminological knowledge representation languages in natural language front-ends

In this Paper we describe an interface between typed formalisms and terminological languages like KL-ONE. The definition of such an interface is motivated by the needs of natural language front-ends to AI-systems where information must be transmitted from the front-end to the back-end system and vice versa. We show some minor extensions to the feature formalism allow for a syntactic description of individual concepts in terms of typed feature structures. Namely, we propose to include intervals and a special kind of sets. Partial consistency checks can be made on these concepts descriptions during the unification of feature terms. Type checking on these special involves calling the classifier of the terminological language. The final consistency check is performed only when transferring these concept description into structures of the A-Box of the terminological language

Die Tierwelt der Karstlandschaft Südharz

Die vielgestaltigen Habitate der Südharzer Karstlandschaft bieten einer artenreichen Tierwelt Lebensraum. Zwar sind aus dem Südharz eine Vielzahl von Angaben zu den verschiedensten Tierarten bekannt, systematische Untersuchungen begannen aber erst in der jüngsten Zeit. Fast alle Daten wurden von Einzelpersonen zusammengetragen. Eine Zusammenstellung für den gesamten Harz, der auch alle verfügbaren Meldungen zum Südharz enthält, wurde 1997 mit dem Arten- und Biotopschutzprogramm "Landschaftsraum Harz" vom Landesamt für Umweltschutz veröffentlicht

Stable isotopes show Homo sapiens dispersed into cold steppes ~45,000 years ago at Ilsenhöhle in Ranis, Germany

The spread of Homo sapiens into new habitats across Eurasia ~45,000 years ago and the concurrent disappearance of Neanderthals represents a critical evolutionary turnover in our species' history. 'Transitional' technocomplexes, such as the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ), characterize the European record during this period but their makers and evolutionary significance have long remained unclear. New evidence from Ilsenhöhle in Ranis, Germany, now provides a secure connection of the LRJ to H. sapiens remains dated to ~45,000 years ago, making it one of the earliest forays of our species to central Europe. Using many stable isotope records of climate produced from 16 serially sampled equid teeth spanning ~12,500 years of LRJ and Upper Palaeolithic human occupation at Ranis, we review the ability of early humans to adapt to different climate and habitat conditions. Results show that cold climates prevailed across LRJ occupations, with a temperature decrease culminating in a pronounced cold excursion at ~45,000-43,000 cal BP. Directly dated H. sapiens remains confirm that humans used the site even during this very cold phase. Together with recent evidence from the Initial Upper Palaeolithic, this demonstrates that humans operated in severe cold conditions during many distinct early dispersals into Europe and suggests pronounced adaptability. [Abstract copyright: © 2024. The Author(s).

X2MORF : a morphological component based on augmented two-level morphology

In this paper I describe X2MORF, a language-independent morphological component for the recognition and generation of word forms based on a lexicon of morphs. The approach is an extension of two-level morphology. The extensions are motivated by linguistic examples which call into question an underlying assumption of standard two-level morphology, namely the independence of morphophonology and morphology as exemplified by two-level rules and continuation classes. Accordingly, I propose a model which allows for interaction between the two parts. Instead of using continuation classes, word formation is described in a feature-based unification grammar. Two-level rules are provided with a morphological context in the form of feature structures. Information contained in the lexicon and the word formation grammar guides the application of two-level rules by matching the morphological context against the morphs. I present an efficient implementation of this model where rules are compiled into automata (as in the standard model) and where processing of the feature-based grammar is enhanced using an automaton derived from that grammar as a filter

X2MORF : a morphological component based on augmented two-level morphology

In this paper I describe X2MORF, a language-independent morphological component for the recognition and generation of word forms based on a lexicon of morphs. The approach is an extension of two-level morphology. The extensions are motivated by linguistic examples which call into question an underlying assumption of standard two-level morphology, namely the independence of morphophonology and morphology as exemplified by two-level rules and continuation classes. Accordingly, I propose a model which allows for interaction between the two parts. Instead of using continuation classes, word formation is described in a feature-based unification grammar. Two-level rules are provided with a morphological context in the form of feature structures. Information contained in the lexicon and the word formation grammar guides the application of two-level rules by matching the morphological context against the morphs. I present an efficient implementation of this model where rules are compiled into automata (as in the standard model) and where processing of the feature-based grammar is enhanced using an automaton derived from that grammar as a filter