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Pushpak Bhattacharyya,
CSE Department,
IIT Bombay
11th March, 2013
NLP=Linguistics+Computation
NLP
Linguistics Computation
is the is the
EYE Muscle
Language: Smaller to bigger
Expression
Words
M
E
Phrases
R
G
Clauses
E
R
Sentences
Two word phrase
(example from “Linguistics” by Radford et al., Cambridge Univesity
Press, 1999)
V N
reduce taxes
Infinitive phrase
• Speaker A: What is the Government’s
principal objective?
• Speaker B: to reduce taxes
• To reduce taxes is an Infinitive Phrase (IP)
IP
[IP [I to]][VP [V reduce] [N taxes]]]
I VP
to V N
reduce taxes
Head, Complement,Projection
IP
I VP
Complement
Head
to V N
[IP [I to]][VP [V reduce] [N taxes]]]
reduce taxes
projection
Larger structures from merger
VP
V IP
Complement
try I VP
Head
to V N
reduce taxes
projection
Striking conclusion: Potentially Infinite number of sentences in any language !!!
Phrase to clause
• Speaker A: What will the Government do?
• Speaker B: They will try to reduce taxes
• What is the structure of Speaker B’s reply?
• Key question: what to do about will?
Similarity of behaviour with to
• To has similarity with
– will/would
– shall/should
– can/could
– may/might
• Positional similarity
– We expect John would/to show some interest
• Complementiser similarity
– Need verb in infinitive form: to/will/would show to a
dentist
Dissimilarity
• To see is to believe
• *Will see is will believe
• Speaker A: What is the Government’s objective?
• Speaker B: to try to reduce taxes
• *will try to reduce taxes
Hypothesis
• To produces a complete phrase
• Will produces an incomplete phrase
• Will needs a subject
• There are other factors playing their roles
IP Speaker A: What will the Government do?
Speaker B: They will try to reduce taxes
I-bar
PRN
I
They VP
will
V IP
try I VP
to V N
reduce taxes
IP To, will etc. are given the label INFL
INFL stands for Inflection
I-bar Hindi gaanaa, Italian cantare
PRN
I
They VP
will
V IP
try I VP
I
They VP
will
V IP
try I VP
to V N
reduce taxes
Clauses in English Language
(Wren & Martin)
The finite forms of a verb are the forms where the verb shows tense,
person or number.
Compound Sentences
• Made up of 2 (or more) independent clauses
(Main) (all of same rank)
• Joined by co-ordinating conjunction and
– Ram went to Nagpur and Shyam went to Pune
– Night came on and rain fell heavily and we all got very wet.
• Types
– Copulative
– Adversative
– Alternative
– Illative
Types of Compound Sentences
• Copulative: main clauses are simply coupled
together
– God made the country and man made the
town.
– Babar was not only a great soldier, he was
also a wise ruler.
– He cannot speak, nor can he write.
– He plays the piano, he sings also.
– The innocent were punished as well as the
guilty.
Types of Compound Sentences
• Adversative: two main clauses are
opposed in meaning
– He is slow, but he is sure.
– I did my best, nevertheless I failed.
– He is rich, yet he is not happy.
– He is vain, still his friends adore him.
Types of Compound Sentences
• Alternative or Disjunctive: main clauses
are disjoined in meaning
– She must weep, or she must die.
– Either he is mad, or he feigns madness.
– Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
– Walk quickly, else you will not overtake him.
Types of Compound Sentences
• Illative: the second clause draws an inference
from the first
– He is diligent, therefore he will succeed.
– He is unwell, so he cannot attend office.
– The angels are equal, consequently the sides
are equal.
Compound sentences: other stuff
• Contracted subject
• He chid their warnings, but relieved their pain.
• = He chid their warnings, but he relieved their pain.
• Contracted verb
• Some praise the work and some the architect.
• = Some praise the work and some praise the
architect
• No connecting word may be used
– Temperance promotes health, intemperance destroys
it.
Complex sentences
• They rested when the night came on.
• When night came on cannot be a sentence by itself
– Hence lower rank
– Called subordinate clause
• Complex sentence contains
– One main clause
– One or more subordinate clauses
• Examples
Compound part
– Anil called at 5:30 and I told him that you had gone out