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NL-KR Digest Volume 04 No. 11
NL-KR Digest (2/01/88 23:38:56) Volume 4 Number 11
Today's Topics:
Foundations of Deductive Databases and Logic Programming
multiple underlying systems
sources on "E-prime"
Idioms
origin of terms 'intension' and 'extension' ? (Berke)
Re: Garden-path sentences
Machin translation between Korean and English
phonetic symbols and trees by email
Submissions: NL-KR@CS.ROCHESTER.EDU
Requests, policy: NL-KR-REQUEST@CS.ROCHESTER.EDU
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 88 17:21 EST
From: yorick@nmsu.csnet
Appeal for references/pointers to a possible literature on
comparative structures of natural and formal languages.
We propose to investigate the possible relationship between (1)
the minimum structures of natural language, and (2) the minimum
structures of programming languages, and seek help in the form
of references to work already done.
There are two ways to approach the minimum structures necessary
to a natural language -- formal and empirical.
The formal structure of natural languages is still under debate,
and that debate is easily found in grammar studies.
As for the empirical, lists of phenomena common to all known
natural languages are known, such as NP's, VP's, direct objects,
interrogation, negation, and sentences. What are the standard, and
even non-standard, references for such lists?
Lastly, is there existing work on the relationship itself? Has anyone
compared:
a) subject and predicate to data and control structures, or
b) declarative, imperative, and interrogative utterances, to types of
accesses to a variable (declaration, definition, and reference), or
c) phonemes, morphemes, and comprehension in speaking, to tokens, objects, and
compilation in programming?
Thank you for any suggestions or references, even those which seem obvious.
Please reply to rhill@nmsu.csnet
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 88 15:58 EST
From: Jack Minker <minker@mimsy.umd.edu>
Subject: Foundations of Deductive Databases and Logic Programming
The book,
FOUNDATIONS OF DEDUCTIVE DATABASES AND LOGIC PROGRAMMING
Edited by Jack Minker (University of Maryland),
will be available from Morgan-Kaufmann Publishers in early
March, 1988. Orders for the book can be made now. The ISBN
No. is: 0-934613-40-0. The book contains 752 pages and
costs $36.95.
This landmark volume explores the close relationship
between deductive databases and logic programming and the
foundational issues they share. A collection of original
research, contributed by leading researchers, the book grew
out of preliminary work presented at the Workshop on Founda-
tions of Deductive Databases and Logic Programming held in
Washington DC, August 1986. All the papers have been exten-
sively refereed and revised.
Part 1 introduces and examines the import of stratified
databases, and its relationship to circumscription, and pro-
vides a comprehensive survey of negation in deductive data-
bases and logic programming. Part 2 addresses fundamental
theoretical and practical issues in developing large-scale
deductive databases and treats problems such as informative
answers, semantic optimization, updates and computing
answers in non-Horn theories. Part 3 provides results con-
cerning unification, equivalence and optimization of logic
programs and provides a comprehensive survey of results con-
cerning logic programs and parallel complexity. An introduc-
tory survey offering background material and an overview of
research topics, name and subject indexes, and extensive
bibliographic references complete the work.
Invaluable to graduate students and researchers in
deductive databases and logic programming, FOUNDATIONS OF
DEDUCTIVE DATABASES AND LOGIC PROGRAMMING will also be of
interest to those working in automated theorem proving,
artificial intelligence and expert systems.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Minker, J., 1-16
Introduction to Foundations of Deductive Databases and Logic
Programming
PART 1 - NEGATION AND STRATIFIED DATABASES 17
Chapter 1 Shepherdson, J., 19-88
Negation in Logic Programming
Chapter 2 Apt, K.R., Blair, H. and Walker, A., 89-148
Towards a Theory of Declarative Knowledge
Chapter 3 Van Gelder, A., 149-176
Negation as Failure Using Tight Derivation for General Logic
Programs
Chapter 4 Lifschitz, V., 177-192
On the Declarative Knowledge of Logic Programs with Negation
Chapter 5 Przymusinski, T., 193-216
On the Semantics of Stratified Deductive Databases
Chapter 6 Topor, R. and Sonenberg, E.A., 217-240
On Domain Independent Databases
PART 2 - FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES IN DEDUCTIVE DATABASES AND
IMPLEMENTATIONS 241
Chapter 7 Chakravarthy, U.S., Grant, J. and Minker, J.,
243-273
Foundations of Semantic Query Optimization for Deductive
Databases
Chapter 8 Imielinski, T., 275-312
Intelligent Query Answering in Rule Based Systems
Chapter 9 Sadri, F. and Kowalski, R.A., 313-362
An Application of General Purpose Theorem Proving to Data-
base Integrity
Chapter 10 Manchanda, S. and Warren, D.S., 363-394
A Logic-Based Language for Database Updates
Chapter 11 Henschen, L.J. and Park, H., 395-438
Compiling the GCWA in Indefinite Deductive Databases
Chapter 12 Bancilhon F. and Ramakrishnan, R., 439-517
Performance Evaluation of Data Intensive Logic Programs
Chapter 13 Thom, J., Naish, L. and Ramamohanaro, K., 519-
543
A Superjoin Algorithm for Deductive Databases
PART 3 - UNIFICATION AND LOGIC PROGRAMS, 545
Chapter 14 Kanellakis, P., 547-585
Logic Programming and Parallel Complexity
Chapter 15 Lassez, J-L., Maher, M.J. and Marriott, K.,
587-625
Unification Revisited
Chapter 16 Maher, M.J., 627-658
Equivalences of Logic Programs
Chapter 17 Sagiv, Y., 659-698
Optimizing Datalog Programs
Chapter 18 van Emden, M.H. and Szeredi, P., 699-709
Converting AND-Control to OR-Control Using Program Transfor-
mation
AUTHOR ADDRESSES 711-714
REFEREES 715-716
AUTHOR INDEX 717-721
SUBJECT INDEX 723-746
--
JACK MINKER
minker.umcp-cs@udel-relay
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 88 09:43 EST
From: Kent Wittenburg <HI.WITTENBURG@MCC.COM>
Subject: multiple underlying systems
Concerning the query about multiple underlying systems:
There has been a research group at Honeywell working on such issues for
several years now. A couple of names involved: Karen Ryan, Rebecca
Root. I believe they are reachable via the arpanet as
Ryan@hi-multics.arpa and Root@hi-multics.arpa. They have a paper in the
proceedings of the upcoming applied natural language processing
conference in Austin, Texas, which happens in a couple of weeks.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 88 18:57 EST
From: Alexander Glockner <glockner@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu>
Subject: sources on "E-prime"
I'm looking for references to E-prime -- the language "English without
all forms of the varb 'to be'".
I have already found the General Semantics Bulletin articles in the
late(?) 60's by David Bourland;
I have also found the books where Albert Ellis uses E-prime.
Does anyone know of any other use/mention/analysis?
Thanks -- Alexander Glockner
glockner@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 88 23:03 EST
From: Kevin.Knight@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Idioms
I am interested in investigating idioms. Can anyone give me a comprehensive
reference of modern English idioms?
I am very interested in finding idioms in other languages, especially when
they express the same concept as an English idiom, but in a different way.
Here are some examples from Spanish:
Spanish Literal Translation English equivalent
------- ------------------- ------------------
cara o cruz "head or cross" heads or tails
tomar el pelo "to grasp your hair" to pull your leg
beber como una esponja "to drink like a sponge" to drink like a fish
cambiar el disco "to change the record" to change the subject
mandar a uno a ver si "go see if the pig had piglets" go fly a kite
ya puso la marrana
ponersele a uno carne "to have one's skin become to get goosebumps
de gallina like that of a hen"
I'd like to collect a large number of these, in as many languages as possible.
The idioms can range from (long) cliches to (short) metaphorical naming of
objects. There doesn't have to be a corresponding idiom in English
(e.g., "In Ixtlan, we have a saying ..."), but this is a plus.
If people out there in net-land have favorite idioms that don't quite
translate, --> send them to me! <--, especially if they're funny. Surely,
some multi-lingual people out there have been in embarrassing situations.
If I get enough responses, I'll compile and re-post.
I'd also appreciate hints on how to do this in a more structured manner.
My English<->Spanish dictionary has a small section on Spanish idioms ...
would you suggest getting a similar dictionary for each language? Do people
have favorite idiom-filled dictionaries for particular languages? What are
their titles? Does there exist a more general reference on multiple-language
idioms?
Finally, I mean to include dialectical variants (e.g. southern USA,
Australian, Colombian Spanish) and English temporal variants (e.g.
Shakespearean). Don't rule anything out! Send me your favorites.
Many thanks,
Kevin Knight (knight@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 88 01:17 EST
From: berke@cs.ucla.edu
Subject: origin of terms 'intension' and 'extension' ? (Berke)
Does anyone know the origin of the terms 'intensional' and
'extensional'?
Note: I am here asking about the terms, not their meaning. The
ideas go back to Aristotle at least. (If you have pre-Aristotle
references to the dual nature of meaning I'd appreciate those
also.)
Most work in the twentieth century references Carnap's 1940's and
50's work since he made such a big deal out of the terms,
essentially trying to formalize intensionality. Church pointed
out that Carnap, in formalizing it actually extensionalized it,
and so didn't succeed. (This note of caution to those claiming
to have formalized language enough to have machines do it,
whether your extensional mechanisms are conceptual dependencies
(Schank), conceptual graphs (Sowa), situations (Barwise and
Perry), tags (Holland-Holyoak et al), or schemata (Arbib et al).)
Today in an old-book store that just moved from West Hollywood to
Santa Monica I came across an 1884 first edition of "Elementary
Lessons in Logic: Deductive and Inductive," by W. Stanley Jevons.
Lesson 5 is "of the Twofold Meaning of Terms - in Extension and
Intension." I quote from it below. The first paragraph opens
Lesson 5 on page 37; the second ends it on p.44. The first
paragraph uses the terms; the second is to help you help me track
down original usage if you are so kindly inclined.
If you can find the references below, I would greatly appreciate
hearing of them. I guess they are from the 1870's and 1880's.
If you have earlier uses of the words, I very much like to know
of them. If you post to newsgroup please copy me by e-mail as it
is hard to cover the news groups often.
Thank you for your help.
Respectfully,
Peter Berke
LESSON V.
OF THE TWOFOLD MEANING OF TERMS -
IN EXTENSION AND INTENSION.
There is no part of the doctrines of Logic to which I
would more urgently request the attention of the reader
than to that which I will endeavour to explain clearly in
the present Lesson. I speak of the double meaning which
is possessed by most logical terms - the meaning in
extension, and the meaning in intension. I believe that
the reader who once acquires a thorough apprehension of
the difference of these meanings, and learns to bear it
always in mind will experience but little further
difficulty in the study of logic.
[ rest of Lesson V ... ]
The subject of Extension and Intension may be pursued in
Hamilton's Lectures on Logic, lect. viii.; or in
Thomson's Laws of Thought, Sections 48 to 52. It is much
noticed in Spalding's Logic (Encyclopaedia Britannica,
8th ed.).
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 88 15:42 EST
From: Jack Campin <jack@cs.hw.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Garden-path sentences
Not one of Francois-Michel's examples is a garden path in spoken English -
intonation and rhythm eliminate the ambiguities of the printed texts.
So: are there ANY garden path sentences in real English, with real phonology?
--
ARPA: jack%cs.glasgow.ac.uk@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk
JANET:jack@uk.ac.glasgow.cs USENET: ...mcvax!ukc!cs.glasgow.ac.uk!jack
Mail: Jack Campin, Computing Science Department, University of Glasgow,
17 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland (041 339 8855 x 6045)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 88 16:40 EST
From: Jim Scobbie <jim@epistemi.ed.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Garden-path sentences
In article <1662@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin) writes:
>
>Not one of Francois-Michel's examples is a garden path in spoken English -
>intonation and rhythm eliminate the ambiguities of the printed texts.
>
>So: are there ANY garden path sentences in real English, with real phonology?
>--
The "the horse raced past the barn fell" ones aren't made safe by phonological
signals - once you know how it all works, it might seem as if that's the case.
Get a GP-virgin and make "the.. fell" as clear as you like to try to get them
to avoid the GP - I bet they'll never get it. Phonology makes a lot of them ok
and the one above will be helped out by appropriate context. Garden paths can
be created and dispelled by context - there are some interesting papers on
this stuff, some the result of work here at Edinburgh (Mark Steedman, Gerry
Altmann) (hi there yous two). For a older paper that should be easily
available, if yous're interested, see Crain and Steedman (1985) "On not being
led up the garden path: the use of context by the psychological parser" in
Dowty, Karttunen and Zwicky "Natural Language Parsing".
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 88 08:22 EST
From: Francois-Michel Lang <lang@zeta.PRC.Unisys.COM>
Subject: Re: Garden-path sentences
In article <1662@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin) writes:
>
>Not one of Francois-Michel's examples is a garden path in spoken English -
>intonation and rhythm eliminate the ambiguities of the printed texts.
Well, first of all, I'm far from convinced that the first of the GPs I cited,
(1) The horse raced past the barn fell.
is completely clear when spoken. I don't think that intonation
straightens that one out. However, as to the rest of the sentences,
I didn't mean to claim that they were ambiguous when spoken.
Although I know of no completely formal definition of GP sentences,
I think it's fair to say that most implicit or generally accepted
definition of these does assume that the garden-pathee is reading
a written text and not to a spoken one.
>So: are there ANY garden path sentences in real English, with real phonology?
I think that #1 is still GP when spoken. I'm currently amassing
quite a collection of these, and I'll post any (others) which still
seem to be GP when spoken.
--
Francois-Michel Lang
Paoli Research Center, Unisys Corporation lang@prc.unisys.com (215) 648-7469
Dept of Comp & Info Science, U of PA lang@cis.upenn.edu (215) 898-9511
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 88 16:22 EST
From: Soon Ae Chun <sunybcs!soon@rutgers.edu>
Subject: Machine translation between Korean and English
I would like to know if any one/group is currently working
on the machine translation between English and Korean.
Or if anyone knows of any works done on it, could you let me know?
I would apreciate it.
My net address is either chun@vaxa.isi.edu or soon@gort.cs.buffalo.edu
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 88 13:16 EST
From: Greg Lee <lee@uhccux.UUCP>
Subject: phonetic symbols and trees by email
I just recently needed to send the text of a handout on phonology
by email, but I couldn't very well, because my correspondent wouldn't be
able to print it. It has some phonetic symbols and trees, and is
set up to be printed using TeX on a LaserWriter. The ascii text is
*not* very readable. Wouldn't it nice to be able to exchange
such documents by email, or to post them in this news group, so
that at least some of us could print them?
There are probably a fair number of you who use TeX. Well, I don't
know, are there? But even if TeX is widely used, of course the
trouble with this kind of document is that TeX has no standard
native facility for printing phonetic characters or doing slanty
lines for trees. I've done some hacking on our local system to
provide a very limited facility for doing these things. Maybe
some of you are way ahead of me here -- if so, I'd like to know
what you're doing.
So here are some things I think might profitably be discussed.
Do enough of us use TeX/Metafont/PostScript-printer combinations
that it would be worth while to exchange information, or maybe
even develop some sort of interim standard for document exchange?
And what are good ways to do phonetic characters and trees with
TeX?
Presuming that there is some interest, I'll begin by giving
a brief description of what I've done here. I replaced the
Greek capitals of the standard Computer Modern Roman fonts
with a few often-occurring phonetic characters -- glottal
stop, schwa, open-o, and so on. The bad thing about doing
it this way, as opposed to using a special font, is that
there is room for only 11 characters. The nice thing is
that those characters are automatically available in all
the font sizes and styles of CMR you ordinarily use, and
as superscripts and subscripts.
I do slanty lines by passing PostScript line drawing commands
to the printer with TeX's "\special" command. It's possible
to construct trees this way -- it's not easy.
So, what do you think?
Greg, lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu
------------------------------
End of NL-KR Digest
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