Formal Foundations of Constraint-Based Semantics for Natural Language

In this project I am developing a framework for a formal semantics which permits fine grained distinctions of meaning that can account for some of the inferential properties of natural language. I am constructing a family of intensional logics that allow for a distinction between equivalence and identity, and so does not reduce logical equivalence to intensional identity. These intensional logics provide languages of semantic representation. The system which I am developing is intended to provide the basis for a viable computational semantics that can be integrated into a constraint-based grammar. The project is funded by grant RG AN2687/APN9387 from the Arts and Humanities Board Research Board of the UK. It includes Howard Gregory as a post-doctoral research assistant and Christian Ebert as a part-time research assistant. Two papers that describe the work being done in this project are (with Chris Fox) A Framework for the Hyperintensional Semantics of Natural Language with Two Implementations and (with Carl Pollard) Strategies for Hyperintensional Semantics .
 
 
 
 

Phrasal Utterance Resolution in Dialogue (with Jonathan Ginzburg)

We are developing an implemented system for interpreting fragments in dialogue within a type feature structure framework. We are building on the results of earlier work on ellipis resolution in HPSG which I did with Howard Gregory in the SOAS Ellipsis Project, and Ginzburg's previous research on modelling dialogue. More information on our HPSG dialogue project can be obtained from the project site. The project is funded by grant R000222969 from the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK. It includes Raquel Fernandez as a part-time research assistant. The following papers present different aspects of the project: (with Jonathan Ginzburg and Howard Gregory) SHARDS: Fragment Resolution in Dialogue and (with Christian Ebert, Howard Gregory, and Nicolas Nicolov) Generation of Fragment Paraphrases in Dialogue.