Special section: natural language processing

 

Natural Language Syntax Description using Generative Dependency Grammar

 

Ştefan Diaconescu

 

SOFTWIN SRL, Bucharest, Romania (email: sdiaconescu@softwin.ro).

 

Manuscript received July 10, 2008.
Manuscript accepted for publication October 20, 2008.

 

Abstract

The paper presents a practical solution to describe natural language syntax. This solution is based on a Generative Dependency Grammar (GDG). A theoretical definition of these grammars and some of their proprieties is given. GDG are implemented in a declarative computer language GRAALAN (Grammar Abstract Language). The paper shortly present the features of GRAALAN and, after that, a more detailed implementation of natural language syntax description is given. GRAALAN offers for natural language syntactic description some strong features that respond to the following requests: a compact description, the possibility to express the syntax and the agreement and to specify the errors met in a text. The description has also the feature of reversibility. The paper presents some conclusions concerning the using of GRAALAN to describe the syntax (among others natural language features).

Key words: Dependency grammar, natural language syntax.

 

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NOTE

This work was supported in part by SOFTWIN SRL, Bucharest, Romania.