Computer Science – Computation and Language
Scientific paper
1994-04-27
Computer Science
Computation and Language
27 pages, extensively revised
Scientific paper
The relationship between Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG) functional structures (f-structures) for sentences and their semantic interpretations can be expressed directly in a fragment of linear logic in a way that explains correctly the constrained interactions between quantifier scope ambiguity and bound anaphora. The use of a deductive framework to account for the compositional properties of quantifying expressions in natural language obviates the need for additional mechanisms, such as Cooper storage, to represent the different scopes that a quantifier might take. Instead, the semantic contribution of a quantifier is recorded as an ordinary logical formula, one whose use in a proof will establish the scope of the quantifier. The properties of linear logic ensure that each quantifier is scoped exactly once. Our analysis of quantifier scope can be seen as a recasting of Pereira's analysis (Pereira, 1991), which was expressed in higher-order intuitionistic logic. But our use of LFG and linear logic provides a much more direct and computationally more flexible interpretation mechanism for at least the same range of phenomena. We have developed a preliminary Prolog implementation of the linear deductions described in this work.
Dalrymple Mary
Lamping John
Pereira Fernando
Saraswat Vijay
No associations
LandOfFree
A Deductive Account of Quantification in LFG does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A Deductive Account of Quantification in LFG, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A Deductive Account of Quantification in LFG will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-329121