rapaport@sunybcs (William J. Rapaport) (03/17/88)
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
The Steering Committee of the
GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH INITIATIVE IN
COGNITIVE AND LINGUISTIC SCIENCES
PRESENTS
IVAN A. SAG
Department of Linguistics
Stanford University and University of Chicago
LINGUISTIC THEORY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCE
In this talk, I outline one view of how the concerns of Cognitive Sci-
ence impose constraints on the design of linguistic theories. I
emphasize the importance of such design properties as monotonicity,
simultaneous constraint satisfaction, declarativeness, and reversibility
of grammars. Despite many appearances to the contrary, much of modern
linguistic theory can be formulated in such terms. Pollard and Sag's
"Information-Based Syntax and Semantics" (1987, to appear), is in fact
an attempt to weave results from a number of diverse traditions (LFG,
GPSG, GB, Categorial Grammar, and Unification-Based Grammar Formalisms)
into a sound theoretical framework that has just such design properties.
I will survey several results of this research program and offer sugges-
tions about directions for future research that integrates comprehensive
linguistic descriptions so designed with models of language processing.
Monday, March 21, 1988
4:15 P.M.
280 Park, Amherst Campus
There will also be an informal evening discussion at Judy Duchan's
house, 130 Jewett Parkway, at a time to be announced. Call Bill Rapa-
port (Dept. of Computer Science, 636-3193 or 3180) for further informa-
tion.