tailieunhanh - Báo cáo khoa học: "LINGUISTIC AND COMPUTATIONAL SEMANTICS"

We argue that because the very concept of computation rests on notions of interpretation, the semantics of natural languages and the semantics of computational formalisms are in the deepest sense the same subject. The attempt to use computational formalisms in aid of an explanation of natural language semantics, therefore, is an enterprise that must be undertaken with particular care. We describe a framework for semantical analysis that we have used in the computational realm, and suggest that it may serve to underwrite computadonally-oriented linguistic as well. . | LINGUISTIC AND COMPUTATIONAL SEMANTICS Brian Cantwell Smith XEROX Palo Alto Research Center 3333 Coyote Hill Road Palo Alto CA 94304 ABSTRACT We argue that because die very concept of computation rests on notions of interpretation the semantics of natural languages and the semantics of computational formalisms are in the deepest sense the same subject. The attempt to use computational formalisms in aid of an explanation of natural language semantics therefore is an enterprise that must be undertaken with particular care. We describe a framework for semantical analysis that we have used in the computational realm and suggest that it may serve to underwrite computationally-oriented linguistic semantics as well. The major feature of this framework is the explicit recognition of both the declarative and the procedural import of meaningful expressions we argue that whereas these two viewpoints have traditionally been taken as alternative any comprehensive semantical theory must account for how both aspects of an expression contribute to its overall significance. We have argued elsewhere1 that the distinguishing mark of those objects and processes we call computational has to do with attributed semantics we humans find computational processes coherent exactly because we attach semantical significance to their behaviour ingredients and so forth. Put another way computers on our view are those devices that we understand by deploying our linguistic faculties. For example the reason that a calculator is a computer but a car is not is that we take the ingredients of the calculator to be symbolic standing in this particular case for numbers and functions and so forth and understand the interactions and organisation of the calculator in terms of that interpretation this part divides this part represents the sum. and so on . Even though by and large we are able to produce an explanation of the behaviour that does not rest on external semantic attribution this is the formality .