Constituent Family Research Articles

The distribution of constituent words in nominal compounds and its impact on semantic interpretation: an empirical study1

Abstract: The paper explores factors that influence the distribution of constituent words of compounds over the head and modifier position. The empirical basis for the study is a large database of German compounds, annotated with respect to the morphological structure of the compound and the semantic category of the constituents. The study shows that the polysemy of the constituent word, its constituent family size, and its semantic category account for tendencies of the constituent word to occur in either modifier or head position. Furthermore, the paper explores the degree to which the semantic category combination of head and modifier word, e.g., x=substance and y=artifact, indicates the semantic relation between the constituents, e.g., y_consists_of_x.

구성족 개념에 따른 사이시옷의 실현과 비실현

구성족 개념에 따른 사이시옷의 실현과 비실현

Thermodynamic property prediction for high molecular weight molecules based on their constituent family

A method for predicting the critical temperature of high molecular weight molecules is proposed. The method is based on a modification of the functional form of the Joback method and the use of constituent functional group trends. To demonstrate the predictive capability of the method several pure fluids and their binary mixtures with CO2 are studied. In particular, diglyme, triglyme and tetraglyme whose molecular weights range from 134 to 222, are shown to reveal excellent predictions between 3 and 9% deviation for saturated liquid densities. Application to vapor–liquid phase equilibria for CO2-glyme systems exhibit 4–8% deviation in saturated liquid densities and 1% for vapor densities. For the system of oleic acid + CO2, pure component parameters from the method allow the correlation of the vapor pressure of oleic acid and the solubility of H2 in oleic acid with a BWR type of equation of state and temperature dependent interaction parameters. Solubility of CO2 in triolein is also well correlated. The critical temperature of a polyalkylene glycol with a molecular weight of 1100 is predicted to be 842 K, whereas the prediction by of the Joback method predicts 8541 K, and so cannot be used in equation of state calculations. The pure component properties predicted with the new functional form of the Joback method also allow reliable correlation of CO2-polyalkylene glycol vapor–liquid equilibria.

Surviving truncation: informativity at the interface of morphology and phonology

When disyllabic words of Chinese are compounded, truncation often applies to yield a disyllabic output that draws one syllable from each of the contributing words, e.g., xiadiē + fudu → + → diēfu. A substantial portion of new words enter Chinese via this process, and all combinations of four underlying syllables are attested in disyllabic neologisms. Variation in which syllable of the base escapes truncation has been described as arbitrary, but our analysis uncovers a clear pattern. Informative syllables survive. We fit a logistic regression model to Chinese truncation patterns using two indices of informativity, constituent family size and frequency ratio. Both of these factors were significant predictors. To further explore the nature of informativity-based constraints on surface forms, we analysed the truncation probabilities predicted by the model for each base in the neologism corpus. As truncation probabilities increased so too did model accuracy. We interpret this result as evidence for a constraint regulating the degree of uncertainty in base-truncation mappings.

Towards an exemplar-based model of stress in English noun–noun compounds

It is well known that stress assignment in English noun–noun compounds is non-uniform (compare e.g. left-prominent ópera glasses and right-prominent steel brídge), and recent corpus-based studies (e.g. Plag et al. 2007, 2008) have shown that categorical, rule-based approaches that make use of argument structure (e.g. Giegerich 2004) or semantics (e.g. Fudge 1984) are not able to account satisfactorily for the existing variability. Using data from the corpus studies by Plag and collegues, I argue in this paper that an exemplar-based approach is better-suited to accounting for stress assignment in English noun–noun compounds than a traditional, rule-based paradigm. Specifically, it is shown that two current implementations of exemplar-based algorithms, TiMBL (Daelemans et al. 2007) and AM::Parallel (Skousen & Stanford 2007), clearly outperform comparable rule models in terms of how well they predict stress assignment in the corpora. Furthermore, systematic testing reveals that the reasons for the differences between exemplar and rule models mainly lie in their ability to incorporate detailed, non-abstract information (specifically, constituent family information). The present study therefore adds to the growing evidence in favour of the importance of constituent family information in compounding (e.g. Gagné 2001, Krott, Schreuder & Baayen 2002).

Compound stress assignment by analogy: the constituent family bias

Abstract This paper tests the hypothesis that stress assignment to English compounds works on the basis of analogy. In particular, the role of the constituent family, i.e. the set of compounds that share the same right or left constituent with a given compound, is investigated. On the basis of large amounts of data from three different corpora it is shown that the tendency towards a certain kind of stress pattern within the constituent families of a given compound is a strong predictor for stress assignment. This challenges rule-based approaches to compound stress assignment and lends independent evidence to exemplar-based approaches to language structure.

Loose ligation of the rat sciatic nerve elicits early accumulation of Shank1 protein in the post-synaptic density of spinal dorsal horn neurons

Plasticity in the spinal dorsal horn may contribute to the development of pain following peripheral nerve injury. Shank proteins are a constituent family of the post-synaptic density (PSD), and they may play a role in synaptic plasticity through activity-dependent synaptic remodeling and growth. In this study we examined the early consequences of the loose ligation of the sciatic nerve on Shank1 protein and message levels in the PSD of spinal dorsal horn neurons. Four hours after sciatic ligation, the protein levels of Shank1 increased in the ipsilateral PSD of ligated animals. In contrast, no changes were detected in the contralateral PSD of these ligated animals, or either the ipsilateral or contralateral PSD of sham-operated animals. Shank1 was linked to the PSD marker protein PSD-95 and the NR2B subunit of NMDA receptors. The ligated animals also exhibited two early signs of pain behavior, a shift in weight distribution and thermal hyperalgesia. There was no overall change in Shank1 message in either ligated or sham-operated animals. The accumulation of Shank1 in the PSD was abolished by intrathecal pre-treatment with anisomycin or Shank1 siRNA, but not with non-target siRNA. The same pre-treatment prevented both the early signs of pain behavior. Intrathecal pre-treatment with either MK-801 or U0126 similarly prevented the Shank1 accumulation and alleviated both the behavioral signs of pain. The early accumulation of Shank1 in the PSD of dorsal horn neurons may be a necessary step in the injury-associated plasticity that in time leads to the development of persistent pain.

Morphological dynamics in compound processing

This paper explores the time-course of morphological processing of trimorphemic Finnish compounds. We find evidence for the parallel access to full-forms and morphological constituents diagnosed by the early effects of compound frequency, as well as early effects of left constituent frequency and family size. We also observe an interaction between compound frequency and both the left and the right constituent family sizes. Furthermore, our data show that suffixes embedded in the derived left constituent of a compound are efficiently used for establishing the boundary between compounds’ constituents. The success of segmentation of a compound is demonstrably modulated by the affixal salience of the embedded suffixes. We discuss implications of these findings for current models of morphological processing and propose a new model that views morphemes, combinations of morphemes and morphological paradigms as probabilistic sources of information that are interactively used in recognition of complex words.

Analogical effects on linking elements in German compound words

This paper examines whether the selection of linking elements for novel German compounds can be better explained in terms of a single or a dual-route model. Previous studies had focused on the predictability of linking elements by rules. We investigate a single-route model by focusing on the paradigmatic analogical effect of the compounds sharing the left (right) constituent with the target compound, i.e., the left (right) constituent family. A production experiment reveals an effect of the left, but not of the right constituent family. Simulation studies of the responses, using a computational model of paradigmatic analogy, show that the left constituent and its phonological and morphological properties (rime, gender, and inflectional class) simultaneously codetermine the selection of linking elements. We show how these results can be accounted for by a single-route approach, and we outline a symbolic interactive activation model that merges the factors into one psycholinguistically motivated processing mechanism.

Sublexical units and supralexical combinatorics in the processing of interfixed Dutch compounds

This study addresses the supralexical inferential processes underlying wellformedness judgements and latencies for a specic sublexical unit that appears in Dutch compounds, the interfix. Production studies have shown that the selection of interfixes in novel Dutch compounds and the speed of this selection is primarily determined by the distribution of interfixes in existing compounds that share the left constituent with the target compound, i.e. the “left constituent family”. In this paper, we consider the question whether constituent families also affect wellformedness decisions of novel as well as existing Dutch compounds in comprehension. We visually presented compounds containing interfixes that were either in line with the bias of the left constituent family or not. In the case of existing compounds, we also presented variants with replaced interfixes. As in production, the bias of the left constituent family emerged as a crucial predictor for both acceptance rates and response latencies. This result supports the hypothesis that, as in production, constituent families are (co-)activated in comprehension. We argue that this co-activation is part of a supralexical inferential process, and we discuss how our data might be interpreted within sublexical and supralexical theories of morphological processing.

Sublexical units and supralexical combinatorics in the processing of interfixed Dutch compounds

This study addresses the supralexical inferential processes underlying wellformedness judgements and latencies for a specic sublexical unit that appears in Dutch compounds, the interfix. Production studies have shown that the selection of interfixes in novel Dutch compounds and the speed of this selection is primarily determined by the distribution of interfixes in existing compounds that share the left constituent with the target compound, i.e. the “left constituent family”. In this paper, we consider the question whether constituent families also affect wellformedness decisions of novel as well as existing Dutch compounds in comprehension. We visually presented compounds containing interfixes that were either in line with the bias of the left constituent family or not. In the case of existing compounds, we also presented variants with replaced interfixes. As in production, the bias of the left constituent family emerged as a crucial predictor for both acceptance rates and response latencies. This result...

Linking Elements in Dutch Noun–Noun Compounds: Constituent Families as Analogical Predictors for Response Latencies

This study addresses the choice of linking elements in novel Dutch noun–noun compounds. Previous off-line experiments (Krott, Baayen, & Schreuder, 2001) revealed that this choice can be predicted analogically on the basis of the distribution of linking elements in the left and right constituent families, i.e., the set of existing compounds that share the left (or right) constituent with the target compound. The present study replicates the observed graded analogical effects under time pressure, using an on-line decision task. Furthermore, the analogical support of the left constituent family predicts response latencies. We present an implemented interactive activation network model that accounts for the experimental data.

Mental Health Issues in Japanese Workers

In this cross sectional study conducted in one city in Japan, psychiatrists were asked to answer self administered questionnaires related to their patients' vital status, constituent family members, employment status, financial support from family, emotional support from family, present state of mental condition, and steps used to help them return to society. The focus of the study was to identify and understand the needs of Japanese workers with mental health problems, and to relate the findings to implications for the workplace. Of the 1,283 male patients reported on in the survey, the greatest proportion (45.1%) suffered from schizophrenia, with the prevalence of this serious illness decreasing with age. One half of the total group worked full or part time, with highest rates of employment among those in their 40s and 50s. The most common jobs were simple physical work or assembly. Workers older than 40 years also were more likely to be responsible for financial support of their families. It is suggested that the occupational health nurse has an important role in providing interventions to help these workers remain productive in the workplace, and thus in society.

Analogy in morphology: modeling the choice of linking morphemes in Dutch

This study argues that a productive but not fully regular morphological phenomenon, the choice of linking morphemes in Dutch nominal compounds, is based on analogy. In Dutch, a linking -s- or -en- can appear between the constituents of a nominal compound. We present production experiments that reveal strong evidence that the choice of linking morphemes in novel compounds is analogically determined by the distribution of linking morphemes in what we call the constituent families. A constituent family is the set of existing compounds that share the first (or second) constituent with the novel compound. A further experiment shows that in the case of derived pseudo-words as first constituents, it is the family of the suffix that influences the choice of the following linking morpheme. In addition to these experiments, we present computational simulation studies in which the choices made by participants in our experiments are predicted with a high degree of accuracy using a machine-learning algorithm for analogy. These studies support the status of the constituent family as the primary basis for analogical prediction. Finally, we outline a psycholinguistic model for analogy in the mental lexicon that does not give up symbolic representations and, at the same time, captures nondeterministic variation.

Hysterocineta davidis sp.nov., an intestinal parasite of the earthworm Allolobophora caliginosa

The genus Hysterocineta Diesing, 1866, is a small genus comprised, until the present description, of only four species. Together with the genus Ptychostomum Stein, 1861, it forms the family Hysterocinetidae Diesing, 1866, which is a constituent family of the suborder Thigmotricha Chatton & Lwoff, 1949. The holotrichous ciliates belonging to this genus are characterized by the possession of elongate, flattened, flexible bodies possessing an inverted V- or U-shaped sucker at their antero-ventral margins, and a cytostome and cytopharynx at the posterior end.