Computational Semantics with Functional Programming

by Jan van Eijck, Christina Unger

Overview

Computational semantics is the art and science of computing meaning in natural language. The meaning of a sentence is derived from the meanings of the individual words in it, and this process can be made so precise that it can be implemented on a computer. Designed for students of linguistics, computer science, logic and philosophy, this comprehensive text shows how to compute meaning using the functional programming language Haskell. It deals with both denotational meaning (where meaning comes from knowing the conditions of truth in situations), and operational meaning (where meaning is an instruction for performing cognitive action). Including a discussion of recent developments in logic, it will be invaluable to linguistics students wanting to apply logic to their studies, logic students wishing to learn how their subject can be applied to linguistics, and functional programmers interested in natural language processing as a new application area.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521760300
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/23/2010
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jan van Eijck is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science in Amsterdam, and Professor of Computational Linguistics at the Research Institute for Language and Speech, Utrecht University.

Christina Unger is based in the Semantic Computing Group in the Cognitive Interaction Technology Center of Excellence at the University of Bielefeld.

Table of Contents

1. Formal study of natural language; 2. Lambda calculus, types and functional programming; 3. Functional programming with Haskell; 4. Formal syntax for fragments; 5. Formal semantics for fragments; 6. Model checking with predicate logic; 7. The composition of meaning in natural language; 8. Extension and intension; 9. Parsing; 10. Handling relations and scoping; 11. Continuation passing style semantics; 12. Discourse representation and context; 13. Communication as informative action.

Editorial Reviews

'This remarkable textbook teaches you the know-how to become an active participant in this rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field.' Johan van Benthem, University of Amsterdam and Stanford University

'This book is a major contribution to computational semantics. The authors provide important insights into a wide range of current issues in semantic theory, setting a very high standard for work in computational semantics.' Shalom Lappin, King's College, London

'The authors do an excellent job of exploring the connections between functional programming and Montague-style formal semantics for natural language. Anyone interested in logic-based computational semantics will learn something from this book.' Stephen Pulman, University of Oxford

From the Publisher