LEVIN@CMU-CS-C.ARPA (01/09/84)
From: Lori Levin <LEVIN@CMU-CS-C.ARPA>
[Reprinted from the CMUC bboard.]
NATURAL LANGUAGE SYNTAX FOR COMPUTER SCIENTISTS
FRIDAYS 10:00 AM - 12:00
4605 Wean Hall
Lori Levin
Richmond Thomason
Department of Linguistics
University of Pittsburgh
This is an introduction to recent work in generative syntax. The
course will deal with the formalism of some of the leading syntactic
theories as well as with methodological issues. Computer scientists
find the formalism used by syntacticians easy to learn, and so the
course will begin at a fairly advanced level, though no special
knowledge of syntax will be presupposed.
We will begin with a sketch of the "Standard Theory," Chomsky's
approach of the mid-60's from which most of the current theories have
evolved. Then we will examine Government-Binding Theory, the
transformational approach now favored at M.I.T. Finally, we will
discuss in more detail two nontransformational theories that are more
computationally tractable and have figured in joint research projects
involving linguists, psychologists, and computer scientists:
Lexical-Functional Grammar and Generalized Context-Free Phrase
Structure Grammar.