Mark Steedman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195305432
- eISBN:
- 9780199866953
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305432.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Models and Architectures
This chapter attempts to link the specific form taken by the universal grammatical mechanism that projects the finite lexicon of any given language onto the infinite set of strings of words paired ...
More
This chapter attempts to link the specific form taken by the universal grammatical mechanism that projects the finite lexicon of any given language onto the infinite set of strings of words paired with meanings that constitute that language to a more primitive capacity for planning, or constructing sequences of actions that culminate in an intended goal. A central question in defining this system is that of how action representations can be learned from interaction with the physical world. The formation of novel plans from such elementary actions requires two fundamental operations of composition, or sequencing, and type-raising, or mapping objects in a situation into their affordances, or contextually supported actions. It is argued that operations related to composition and type-raising determine the universal grammatical mechanism that projects language-specific lexicons onto the sentences of the language. This observation suggests that the language faculty is in evolutionary and developmental terms attached to a more primitive planning mechanism to which it is formally entirely transparent.Less
This chapter attempts to link the specific form taken by the universal grammatical mechanism that projects the finite lexicon of any given language onto the infinite set of strings of words paired with meanings that constitute that language to a more primitive capacity for planning, or constructing sequences of actions that culminate in an intended goal. A central question in defining this system is that of how action representations can be learned from interaction with the physical world. The formation of novel plans from such elementary actions requires two fundamental operations of composition, or sequencing, and type-raising, or mapping objects in a situation into their affordances, or contextually supported actions. It is argued that operations related to composition and type-raising determine the universal grammatical mechanism that projects language-specific lexicons onto the sentences of the language. This observation suggests that the language faculty is in evolutionary and developmental terms attached to a more primitive planning mechanism to which it is formally entirely transparent.
Mark Steedman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017077
- eISBN:
- 9780262301404
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017077.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter focuses on the Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG), a strongly lexicalized theory of grammar in which grammatical categories consist of a syntactic type defining valency, along with a ...
More
This chapter focuses on the Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG), a strongly lexicalized theory of grammar in which grammatical categories consist of a syntactic type defining valency, along with a logical form and a phonological form. It also discusses the Categorial Lexicon, the sole repository of language-specific information whose sounds and meanings are projected by a small universal set of type-driven combinatory syntactic rules onto the sounds and meanings of all and only the sentences of the language. CCG includes a number of restricted combinatory operations for combining categories that are strictly limited to various combinations of operations of type raising, composition, and substitution. Both reflexive/reciprocal binding and control are bounded under Condition A of the binding theory—that is, they relate elements within a single verbal domain. The chapter also examines relativization and relative pronouns, embedded subject extraction, pied-piping of wh-items such as which and who(m) in noun phrases, coordination of conjunctions, and the expressive power and computational complexity of CCG. Finally, it compares CCG with Categorial Type Logic and Lambek grammars.Less
This chapter focuses on the Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG), a strongly lexicalized theory of grammar in which grammatical categories consist of a syntactic type defining valency, along with a logical form and a phonological form. It also discusses the Categorial Lexicon, the sole repository of language-specific information whose sounds and meanings are projected by a small universal set of type-driven combinatory syntactic rules onto the sounds and meanings of all and only the sentences of the language. CCG includes a number of restricted combinatory operations for combining categories that are strictly limited to various combinations of operations of type raising, composition, and substitution. Both reflexive/reciprocal binding and control are bounded under Condition A of the binding theory—that is, they relate elements within a single verbal domain. The chapter also examines relativization and relative pronouns, embedded subject extraction, pied-piping of wh-items such as which and who(m) in noun phrases, coordination of conjunctions, and the expressive power and computational complexity of CCG. Finally, it compares CCG with Categorial Type Logic and Lambek grammars.
