Maria José Bocorny Finatto

Statistically-Driven Alignment-Based Multiword Expression Identification for Technical Domains

Multiword Expressions (MWEs) are one of the stumbling blocks for more precise Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems. Particularly, the lack of coverage of MWEs in resources can impact negatively on the performance of tasks and applications, and can lead to loss of information or communication errors. This is especially problematic in technical domains, where a significant portion of the vocabulary is composed of MWEs. This paper investigates the use of a statistically-driven alignment-based approach to the identification of MWEs in technical corpora. We look at the use of several sources of data, including parallel corpora, using English and Portuguese data from a corpus of Pediatrics, and examining how a second language can provide relevant cues for this tasks. We report results obtained by a combination of statistical measures and linguistic information, and compare these to the reported in the literature. Such an approach to the (semi-)automatic identification of MWEs can considerably speed up lexicographic work, providing a more targeted list of MWE candidates.

A hybrid approach for multiword expression identification

Considerable attention has been given to the problem of Multiword Expression (MWE) identification and treatment, for NLP tasks like parsing and generation, to improve the quality of results. Statistical methods have been often employed for MWE identification, as an inexpensive and language independent way of finding co-occurrence patterns. On the other hand, more linguistically motivated methods for identification, which employ information such as POS filters and lexical alignment between languages, can produce more targeted candidate lists. In this paper we propose a hybrid approach that combines the strenghts of different sources of information using a machine learning algorithm to produce more robust and precise results. Automatic evaluation on gold standards shows that the performance of our hybrid method is superior to the individual results of statistical and alignment-based MWE extraction approaches for Portuguese and for English. This method can be used to aid lexicographic work by providing a more targeted MWE candidate list.

Automatic Extraction of Domain Specific Non-taxonomic Relations from Portuguese Corpora

This paper presents an automatic method to extract domain specific non-taxonomic relations from previously processed Brazilian Portuguese corpora. The proposed method is detailed and exemplified through a five corpora experiment. The obtained relations can be visualized and handled through an intuitive web interface and the results were evaluated by an human made analysis. The results show the positive performance of the extraction method and their perspectives for different kind of linguistic applications.

Metaphors in scientific and technical languages: challenges and perspective

This article aims to show, in a summarized way, how different studies on metaphor can positively converge to a cognitive-linguistic perception of this phenomenon. This perception surpasses a merely stylistic vision of the metaphor. The paper also reports the research that was done by Huang (2005) about metaphors in scientific texts of Medicine, which is related to the topic of AIDS. The results and difficulties of Huangs research have given examples in the treatment of the theme of metaphor in Terminology and in studies of scientific texts. It is concluded that metaphor is one of the phenomena that make part of the technical and scientific communication and, because of the complexity in approaching such topic, it must also be investigated in Terminology.This article aims to show, in a summarized way, how different studies on metaphor can positively converge to a cognitive-linguistic perception of this phenomenon. This perception surpasses a merely stylistic vision of the metaphor. The paper also reports the research that was done by Huang (2005) about metaphors in scientific texts of Medicine, which is related to the topic of AIDS. The results and difficulties of Huang’s research have given examples in the treatment of the theme of metaphor in Terminology and in studies of scientific texts. It is concluded that metaphor is one of the phenomena that make part of the technical and scientific communication and, because of the complexity in approaching such topic, it must also be investigated in Terminology.

Vocabulário, complexidade textual e compreensão de leitura em ambientes digitais de ensino : uma investigação inicial com alunos do ensino médio

RESUMO : Neste artigo, relata-se uma investigacao inicial que pretendeu qualificar a elaboracao e a facilidade de uso de recursos didaticos para Educacao a Distância (EAD) na area de Letras/Lingua Portuguesa e Leitura. Apresentam-se o planejamento do recurso, a selecao de materiais e as nocoes teoricas envolvidas e o desenho inicial da atividade, que consistiu em ler e avaliar a complexidade de um conjunto de textos curtos. A experiencia revelou sucesso apenas para um pequeno grupo controlado de alunos e insucesso em grande grupo, sem controle. Para a melhoria do recurso criado e da sua implementacao didatica, indica-se a necessidade de realizacao de atividades previas presenciais de estudo com os grupos envolvidos e de avaliacao de resultados com os alunos respondentes apos a tarefa realizada . PALAVRAS - CHAVE : ambientes digitais; complexidade textual; recursos de EAD; vocabulario . ABSTRACT : In this paper, we describe an initial investigation that intended to qualify the elaboration and usability of didactic resources for Distance Learning (DL) in the field of Languages/Portuguese Language and Reading. We present the planning of the resource, the selection of materials and the theoretical notions involved, and the initial design of the activity, which consisted in reading and evaluating the complexity of a set of short texts. The experience was successful only for a small controlled group of students and unsuccessful for the large uncontrolled group. In order to improve the devised resource and implement it didactically, there is the need to perform previous presential learning activities with the involved groups and proceed with the student’s evaluation of the results after the task is accomplished . KEYWORDS : digital environments; textual complexity; distance learning resources; vocabulary .

Letramento científico e simplificação textual: o papel do tradutor no acesso ao conhecimento científico

From the task given to students of the translation course of simplifying a scientific text on Parkinson’s disease written in Brazilian Portuguese to be understood by lay Brazilian readers with low levels of education, we seek to interrelate the concepts of intralinguistic translation, scientific literacy and textual simplification. We highlight the differences found in the textual simplification performed in two ways, with and without digital tools, and think about the student’s engagement in those tasks as well as the training of translators as knowledge mediators/intermediaries.

SUJEITOS E AGENTES DE PODER E DEVER EM TEXTOS SOBRE EQUILÍ- BRIO QUÍMICO: ASPECTOS LINGÜÍSTICO-TERMINOLÓGICOS E ASPECTOS CONCEITUAIS DA ENUNCIAÇÃO CIENTÍFICA E O ENSINO- APRENDIZAGEM DE QUÍMICA

Cet article decrit et discute quelques aspects concernant l’utilisationdes verbes pouvoir et devoir dans des textes didactiques en portugaisconsacres au sujet «Equilibre chimique». On examine ici des chapitresde manuels academiques de Chimie generale recommandes par desprofesseurs universitaires et utilises par des etudiants au 1er cycle enChimie, de meme qu’en d’autres formations. Ce travail repere les particularitesdu texte a l’egard de la presentation et la frequence de ces verbesdans des formes personalisees et non-personalisees, reflechissant sur deprobables implications de ces elements d’enonciation pour le typed’interlocution etablie par le biais du texte et pour les conditions de representationet de construction du savoir scientifique.