[Prev][Next][Index]

CSLI Calendar, 24 May, vol. 5:29




       C S L I   C A L E N D A R   O F   P U B L I C   E V E N T S
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 May 1990                     Stanford                       Vol. 5, No. 29
_____________________________________________________________________________

    A weekly publication of the Center for the Study of Language and
Information (CSLI), Ventura Hall, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-4115
			     ____________

	    CSLI ACTIVITIES FOR THIS THURSDAY, 24 MAY 1990

12:00 noon		TINLunch
      Cordura 100	Grammaticalization of Discourse Context:
			An HPSG Approach to Korean (and Japanese)
			Suk-Jin Chang
			Visiting Scholar from Seoul National University
			(chang@csli.stanford.edu)
			Abstract in last week's Calendar

 2:15 p.m.		CSLI Seminar
      Cordura 100	Controversies in Natural-Language Research 6
			led by Stanley Peters 
			(peters@csli.stanford.edu)
                        Title: Derivation vs. Constraints in Syntax
			Speakers: Joan Bresnan, Ivan Sag, Peter Sells
			(bresnan@csli.stanford.edu, sag@csli.stanford.edu,
			sells@csli.stanford.edu)
			Abstract in last week's Calendar
			     ____________

	    CSLI ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT THURSDAY, 31 MAY 1990

12:00 noon		TINLunch
      Cordura 100	Spatial Mental Models
			Barbara Tversky
			Department of Psychology
			Stanford University
			(bt@psych.stanford.edu)
			Abstract below

 2:15 p.m.		CSLI Seminar
      Cordura 100	Controversies in Natural-Language Research 7
			led by Stanley Peters 
			(peters@csli.stanford.edu)
			Title: Propositional Attitudes and Russellian
			Propositions
			Speaker: Robert C. Moore
			Artificial Intelligence Center, SRI International
			(bmoore@ai.sri.com)
			Abstract below
			     ____________
				   
			 NEXT WEEK'S TINLUNCH
			Spatial Mental Models
			   Barbara Tversky

I will describe two sets of studies investigating spatial properties
of mental models induced entirely by text.  In the first set, both
route and survey descriptions of medium- and large-scale environments
apparently yield the same perspective-free spatial models.  In the
second set, narratives describe a common three-dimensional small-scale
spatial environment, and properties of the induced mental model are
examined in detail.  These mental models are not perception-like or
image-like; rather, they seem to reflect people's conceptions of
space.
			     ____________
				   
		       NEXT WEEK'S CSLI SEMINAR
	     Controversies in Natural-Language Research 7
	 Propositional Attitudes and Russellian Propositions
			   Robert C. Moore

An adequate theory of propositions needs to conform to two sets of
intuitions that pull in quite different directions. One set of
intuitions concerning entailments (or, more specifically, the lack
thereof) among reports of propositional attitudes such as belief,
knowledge, or desire points toward a very fine-grained notion of
proposition.  To be the objects of attitudes, propositions must
seemingly be individuated almost as narrowly as sentences of a natural
language.  On the other hand, other intuitions seem to require that
propositions not be specifically linguistic entities -- rather that
they be proper "semantic" objects, whatever that really amounts to.

Over the last few years, a number of approaches have been proposed in
the attempt to reconcile these two types of intuitions.  I believe
that the simplest approach with any hope of success is the recent
revival of the "Russellian" view of propositions, based on the
semantic ideas expressed in _The Principles of Mathematics_ (Russell,
1903, chapter V).  Russell's idea at that time seems to have been that
a proposition consists of a relation and the objects related.  This
contrasts with the "Fregean" view that a proposition must contain
something like concepts of the objects related by the relation, rather
than containing the objects themselves.

In this paper, we explore the Russellian view of propositions and its
adequacy as a basis for the semantics of propositional attitude
reports.  We review some of the familiar problems of attitude reports
and suggest that a number of other approaches to their solution fall
short of the mark.  We then sketch how these problems can be handled
by the Russellian approach, pointing out that it in fact offers a more
complete treatment of the problems than is sometimes realized, and we
present a formal treatment of a logic based on the Russellian
conception of a proposition.  Finally, we discuss a number of
remaining issues, including the need to distinguish propositional
functions from properties and the problem of proper names in attitude
reports.
			     ____________
				   
			   SPECIAL LECTURE
	    Natural Deduction Search in Dialogue Interface
			    V. A. Smirnov
		       Institute of Philosophy
				Moscow
		   Thursday, 24 May, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
			      Ventura 17

No abstract available.
			     ____________

   			SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS FORUM
	 Desymbolization and Resymbolization in Human Culture
			     Rene' Girard
		     French & Italian Department
			 Stanford University
		     Thursday, 24 May, 4:15 p.m.
			Building 60, Room 61G

The structural anthropologists define cultural patterns as systems of
differences, or symbolic systems.  In light of this definition, the
violent crises portrayed in tragedy and other great literary texts
must be interpreted as a process of violent undifferentiation and
desymbolization.  A striking example is Ulysses' famous speech in
_Troilus and Cressida_.

This view of desymbolization -- the destruction of signification
itself -- leads in turn to the interpretation of paroxystic violence
-- the collective murder of the hero in _Julius Caesar_, for instance
-- as the origin of (re-)symbolization, the triggering device of
cultural patterns, the starting point of the Roman Empire.

If this conception of cultural cycles ending and beginning in the same
violence is taken seriously, it can illuminate many archaic and even
modern institutional patterns.

			     ____________
				   
			     SPECIAL TALK
		     Feature Type Systems and MT
			      Remi Zajac
		       University of Stuttgart
		Friday, 25 May, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
			     Cordura 100

To describe correspondences between sets of strings and set of feature
descriptions, we can utilize CF grammars that use unification to
associate feature descriptions to nonterminals.  In an MT system, we
need to describe more general correspondences between arbitrary sets
of feature descriptions.  Until recently, this kind of formalism has
not been available.  We give an introduction to this class of
formalism based on the notion of term rewriting, and we present a
simple example for transfer in an MT system.  Because this kind of
formalism uses a more general scheme of computation than CF rewriting
augmented with unification, it is equipped with general programming
capabilities.  We show how these capabilities can be exploited to
build a modular system where all constraints are integrated during
processing.
			     ____________
				   				   
		   PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM
	     Creating the Kingdom of Ends: Responsibility
		and Reciprocity	in Personal Relations
			Christine M. Korsgaard
			University of Chicago
			  (visiting at UCLA)
		      Friday, 25 May, 3:15 p.m.
			Building 90, Room 91A

No abstract available.
			     ____________
				   
		  LINGUISTICS DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM
   Deep Unaccusativity and Multilevel versus Multistratal Theories
		(based on work done with Joan Bresnan)
			     Annie Zaenen
			      Xerox PARC
			(zaenen.pa@xerox.com)
		      Friday, 25 May, 3:30 p.m.
			     Cordura 100

Practitioners of multistratal frameworks often claim that theories
like LFG cannot handle certain phenomena because they do not have
recourse to underlying grammatical functions.  I will discuss one
example of a generalization used to make such claims, i.e., the
account of the resultative construction in English, and show how LFG
accounts for this generalization.  I then will discuss whether the
distinction between multistratal and multilevel theories is an
interesting one.
			     ____________
				   
			   POETICS WORKSHOP
	   Unstressed Syllables in the Rhythmic Patterns of
		      Contemporary Russian Verse
			   Vycheslav Ivanov
			  Moscow University
		      Tuesday, 29 May, 4:00 p.m.
			      Ventura 17

This talk was originally scheduled for 15 May, but had to be postponed
to this new date.
			     ____________
				   
		   PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM
		   On the Usefulness of Final Ends
			   Harry Frankfurt
			 Princeton University
		      Tuesday, 29 May, 4:15 p.m.
		       Building 380, Room 380W

No abstract available.
			     ____________
				   
			   SYNTAX WORKSHOP
       X'-Structures and Sentence-Final Particles in Cantonese
			     Carol Neidle
			  Boston University
		    (visiting Xerox PARC and CSLI)
			(neidle.pa@xerox.com)
		      Tuesday, 29 May, 7:30 p.m.
			     Cordura 100

Cantonese has between thirty-five and forty sentence-final particles
that can occur singly or in clusters.  Previous studies have focused
primarily on their discourse functions.  Syntactic analysis suggests
that these particles occur in syntactic function positions.  It turns
out that many facts about the distribution, interpretation, and
combinatorial possibilities of the particles can be explained once the
X'-structures of Cantonese assumed in the literature are reexamined.
The following structure for CP in Chinese will be proposed and argued
for:

	[ IP COMP SPEC ]  . 
			 CP

Material in these functional positions is particularly prone to
contraction.  Phonological study (beyond the scope of this talk)
reveals that regular interactions among the segmental particles
postulated to appear in these positions and floating tones posited to
occur at the utterance boundary, which modify the meaning and the tone
of the utterance-final syllable, provide an economical and explanatory
account of the surface forms of particles and particle clusters.  One
consequence of this analysis is the reduction of the particle
inventory.

This talk will concentrate on the syntactic properties and
distribution of several specific particles, and on the X'-structures
for Cantonese that are needed to account for them, although the
overall particle system will be described briefly.  The analysis also
correctly predicts many additional particle clusters not previously
discussed in the literature.

The above is part of joint work with Sam-po Law of Boston University,
on the syntax and phonology of Cantonese sentence-final particles.

This will be the final syntax workshop of this school year.
			     ____________
				   
		   PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM
	      Basic Research in Action: Volunteerism and
		      Society's Response to AIDS
			     Mark Snyder
		       University of Minnesota
		     Wednesday, 30 May, 3:45 p.m.
			Building 420, Room 050

No abstract available.
			     ____________