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Computationally Relevant Properties of Natural Languages and Their Grammars

  • Chapter
The Formal Complexity of Natural Language

Part of the book series: Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy ((SLAP,volume 33))

Abstract

This paper surveys what is currently known about natural language morphology and syntax from the perspective of formal language theory. Firstly, the position of natural language word-sets and sentence-sets on the formal language hierarchy is discussed. Secondly, the contemporary use by linguists of a range of formal grammars (from finite state transducers to indexed grammars) in both word-syntax (i.e. morphology) and sentence-syntax is sketched. Finally, recent developments such as feature-theory, the use of extension and unification, default mechanisms, and metagram-matical techniques, are outlined.

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Authors
  1. Gerald Gazdar
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  2. Geoffrey K. Pullum
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, USA

    Walter J. Savitch

  2. Department of Linguistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA

    Emmon Bach

  3. Xerox PARC, Palo Alto, California, USA

    William Marsh

  4. College of Arts & Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Gila Safran-Naveh

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© 1985 OHMSHA, Ltd.

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Gazdar, G., Pullum, G.K. (1985). Computationally Relevant Properties of Natural Languages and Their Grammars. In: Savitch, W.J., Bach, E., Marsh, W., Safran-Naveh, G. (eds) The Formal Complexity of Natural Language. Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy, vol 33. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3401-6_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3401-6_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-55608-047-0

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