Susumu Kuno

The predictive analyzer and a path elimination technique

Some of the characteristic features of a predictive analyzer, a system of syntactic analysis now operational at Harvard on an IBM 7094, are delineated. The advantages and disadvantages of the system are discussed in comparison to those of an immediate constituent analyzer, developed at the RAND Corporation with Robinsons English grammar. In addition, a new technique is described for repetitive path elimination for a predictive analyzer, which can now claim efficiency both in processing time and core storage requirement.

Syntactic structure and ambiguity of English

This paper is in two parts. The first (Section 2) gives an evaluation of the performance of the multiple-path syntactic analyzer to date, with emphasis on the nature and the consequences of syntactic ambiguities in English sentences and suggestions for the refinement of the grammar. The remainder of the paper is concerned with certain concrete implications of the theoretical description of multiple-path predictive analysis provided by recent work of Evey and Greibach. A modification of the form of the current grammar is proposed which should yield a new grammar with additional intuitive appeal, a simplified version of the present analysis program, and sentence structure descriptions in the form of a generalized parenthesis-free notation readily interpretable as a tree.

Computational Linguistics: Graphical input/output of nonstandard characters

A system developed at Harvard for graphically inputting and outputting nonstandard characters on a computer is printed. In principle, the system can deal with any orthography, although at present it is limited to 4000 Chinese characters and some mathematical symbols. New characters can be added to the repertoire of the system by graphical input on a display scope. Text inputting is accomplished via a display scope or a Rand Tablet. The organization and operation of the current system are described, and a discussion of the relative merits of such a system is given. Illustrations of the computer input and output of Chinese characters are included.

Reflexivization in English

There is a phenomenon in English which yields what Lakoff (1968) calls a rule-ordering paradox between Pronominalization and Adverb Preposing.

Against Pied Piping in LF

In this paper, I will examine the claim that islands containing wh-expressions in Japanese are raised in LF by Pied Piping. I will show that none of the arguments that has been presented for this hypothesis holds. I will argue that all the facts purported to support the hypothesis, and all the counter-examples that I will present in this paper, can be accounted for by assuming that wh-expressions in situ and quantified NPs are not raised in LF.

Computational linguistics in a Ph.D. computer science program

1.1 MATHEMATICAL CHARACTERIZATIONS OF ~ATURAL LANGUAGES Mathematical studies of the nature of natural languages can be divided into two major categories according to the types of mathematics used: statistical versus logic or discrete mathematics. Statistical studies are concerned with such problems as frequency counts of linguistic units (such as phonemes, syllables, and words), statistics of style, the identification of authorship, and quantitative