Semantic Primitives Research Articles

BASIC SOCIAL CATEGORIES: NATURAL SEMANTIC META-LANGUAGE (NSM) APPROACH

The study deals with the NSM analysis, developed by A. Wierzbicka, and its essence to develop the prototype structure of the basic social categories. The hypothesis questioned within this paper: ‘Are the NSM analysis results of the category areprone to determine its prototype?’.The work of Sapir Whorf claims that the linguistic systems of the “pictures of the world” are incompatible with each other, whereas Wierzbicka, on the contrary, asserts that culturally specific concepts are well comparable, as they can betranslated into a universal language that excludesthese differences. Thus, the language of semantic primitives – NSM, demonstrating its expressive capacity, restricts the set of the meanings for max-imum that refuses further decomposition, the onlyway the semantic content of any complex expression can be made explicitly in full detail.

The Specific Role of Verb “To Carry” in Balinese

A number of studies on verbs as one of the linguistic grammatical categories, serving to desccribe events, have been to explore in depth their more distinct types according to their semantic primitives under the natural semantic metalanguage theory approach. This research aims is to features the semantic types and specific roles of the verb ‘to carry’ in Balinese from the natural semantic metalanguage theory perspective. This study is a qualitative study. The semantic types of the verb in question was first classified in order to ease the identification of their specific semantic roles. The results of research show type of semantic roles were restricted to agent for the arguments serving as an actor of the activity described with the each of semantic type of the verb ‘to carry’ and patient for those serving as target of the said activity. This research discloses a 21 type of Balinese verbs which semantically have an intimate relation to the verb ‘to carry’; they are nèngtèng, ningting, nyangkol, nyangkil, nyuun, negen, ngandong, nenggolong, nyelet, nyelepit, ngabin, nampa, ngundit, nangal, nandan, nyekel, nikul, ngenyang, mundut, nyunggi, dan ngayot.

Improving multilingual speech emotion recognition by combining acoustic features in a three-layer model

This study presents a scheme for multilingual speech emotion recognition. Determining the emotion of speech in general relies upon specific training data, and a different target speaker or language may present significant challenges. In this regard, we first explore 215 acoustic features from emotional speech. Second, we carry out speaker normalization and feature selection to develop a shared standard acoustic parameter set for multiple languages. Third, we use a three-layer model composed of acoustic features, semantic primitives, and emotion dimensions to map acoustics into emotion dimensions. Finally, we classify the continuous emotion dimensional values into basic categories by using the logistic model trees. The proposed approach was tested on Japanese, German, Chinese, and English emotional speech corpora. The recognition performance was examined and enhanced by cross-speaker and cross-corpus evaluation, and stressed the fact that our strategy is particularly suited for the task of multilingual emotion recognition even with a different speaker or language. The experimental results were found to be reasonably comparable with those of monolingual emotion recognizers as a reference.

HOW TO TRANSLATE AN ACTION VERB PROVIDE INTO BAHASA INDONESIA THROUGH THE NATURAL SEMANTIC METALANGUAGE


 Abstract
 This study is aimed at mapping the meaning of action verb provide and its translation in Indonesian lexicons. The data sources of this study are two Colours Magazines of Garuda Indonesia, May 2017 and March 2018 editions. In colleting the data, this study applied the observation method and note taking technique. Those data were analyzed using Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach proposed by Anna Wierzbicka (1996). Furthermore, the method of analyzing data was descriptive qualitative method. First, each of the data was analyzed to find its meaning configuration. Then, it was followed by the paraphrasing using semantic primitives to show the explication of each lexicon and be able to compare them. The results of this study shows that the action verb provide is translated into five different Indonesian lexicons in the Colours Magazine. The verb and its translations have slight differences shown by the meaning configurations as well as explications. However, they could properly deliver the intended meaning for the Indonesian target readers regarding the sentences they are in.

Voice conversion for emotional speech: Rule-based synthesis with degree of emotion controllable in dimensional space

This paper proposes a rule-based voice conversion system for emotion which is capable of converting neutral speech to emotional speech using dimensional space (arousal and valence) to control the degree of emotion on a continuous scale. We propose an inverse three-layered model with acoustic features as output at the top layer, semantic primitives at the middle layer and emotion dimension as input at the bottom layer; an adaptive-based fuzzy inference system acts as connectors to extract the non-linear rules among the three layers. The rules are applied by modifying the acoustic features of neutral speech to create the different types of emotional speech. The prosody-related acoustic features of F0 and power envelope are parameterized using the Fujisaki model and target prediction model separately. Perceptual evaluation results show that the degree of emotion can be perceived well in the dimensional space of valence and arousal.

Anna Wierzbicka, Words and the World

This introduction to the Special Issue summarises Anna Wierzbicka’s contribution to the linguistic study of meaning. It presents the foundations of the approach known as the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) developed by Wierzbicka. The current state of the approach is discussed in the article with the ideas of 65 semantic primitives, universal grammar and the principle of reductive paraphrase in semantic explications. It traces the origin of Wierzbicka’s ideas to Leibniz. The framework has been tested on about thirty languages of diverse origin. The applications of the approach are broad and encompass lexical areas of emotions, social categories, speech act verbs, mental states, artefacts and animals, verbs of motion, kinship terms (among others), as well as grammatical constructions.

Degrees as nominalized properties: evidence from differential verbal comparatives in Mandarin Chinese

Whether degrees should be modeled as simple semantic primitives or ontologicallycomplex entities has been an issue in recent formal semantic research. This article aims tomake a contribution to this scholarly enterprise by investigating the Differential VerbalComparative (DVC) construction in Chinese. DVCs exhibit peculiar properties : (i)obligatory differentials, and (ii) DPs as differentials(e.g., liang ben xiaoshuo ‘two CL novel’).We propose that a degree is the entity correlate of a property that is formed on the basis of ameasure, akin to Chierchia-style kind. This new kind of degree, coupled with a differencefunction-based semantics for comparatives, correctly predicts the behaviors of DVCs whichwould otherwise remain formally inscrutable. This article’s contributions are twofold: (i) itprovides direct support for the degree-as-kind analysis by extending its empirical scope; and(ii) by combining degrees as kinds with a difference function-based semantics, it representsan improvement over the previous degree-as-kind analysis based on linear ordering.Keywords: comparatives, degrees, kinds, Mandarin Chinese, differential verbalcomparatives.

Finding a model for contrastive lexical semantics: A look at verbal communication verbs

A basic problem for contrastive lexical studies in general is to find a model for the semantic analysis. This paper is one in a series of corpus-based contrastive studies of the field of Verbal Communication Verbs (VCVs) in English and Swedish. Searle’s classification of speech acts serves as an important starting point but is not directly concerned with lexical structure, which is a major concern for the two theories that are compared in this study. FrameNet based on Fillmore’s theory of semantic frames and Wierzbicka’s theory of semantic primitives (or “primes”). The theories are applied and tested on data from the English Swedish Parallel Corpus (ESPC) containing English and Swedish original texts together with their translations into the other language. Primarily two groups of English verbs and their Swedish correspondents will be analyzed: (1) Information verbs such as tell, inform, notify, report, narrate and describe and (2) Speech activity verbs such as talk, speak, chat, converse, gossip, discuss, debate, negotiate and bargain. There is also an analysis of Swedish berätta ‘tell, narrate’ based on the Multilingual Parallel Corpus (MPC) as an example of multilingual contrastive analysis. Frames relate in a clear way the conceptual structure and the syntactic argument structure, which is very useful in a contrastive study. However, the definition of the meaning of individual verbs is incomplete and needs to be complemented with some kind of decompositional analysis such as the theory of semantic primes. A special section is devoted to an analysis of a large number of compound and derived forms of the Swedish verb tala ‘speak’ and a discussion of how contrasts in morphological structure can affect the lexical contrasts between two languages.

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: A CASE FROM A RUSSIAN UNIVERSITY

Introduction The study addresses the needs of university educators in alternative, more efficient teaching techniques supported by the psychological approach. Method The introduced method of fairy tale writing, based on the potential of Russian traditional fairy tales, encourages critical thinking, and enhances the problem solving process in the context of international students’ identification with an imaginary personality. The defense mechanisms unconsciously applied in the frame of an individual’s narration assist in interpreting their emotional state and psychological adaptation levels at a certain point in time. Results The complexity of the adjustment process should be scrupulously considered, as the nature of individually applied defense mechanisms is dependent on the culture and contextually relevant. Fairy tale therapy gives international students a chance to negotiate identity in writing and acquire positive feelings of attachment and belonging. Instructors benefit from “hearing out” and learning about the students who, in the traditional educational setting, would reveal shyness associated with some cultural predisposition (China, Japan, and Korea). Discussion The timely changed class instruction style and more person-centered approach can modify the situational adaptation outcomes, and long-duration observation can provide a clearer picture of identity transition. Arrangements should be made to adequately shift emotional discontent at the critical point, and this is a task for both the local university administration and the national legislative body. The theoretical prerequisite of universalism of human emotions enables the educators to perceive the coded message in the narrators’ ‘voices’ and become mediators between international students and university administration. Keywords : defense mechanisms, emotional state, psychological adaptation, Russian fairy tales, universal semantic primitives

Automatic Detection of Semantic Primitives with Multi-Objective Bioinspired Algorithms and Weighting Algorithms

Automatic Detection of Semantic Primitives with Multi-Objective Bioinspired Algorithms and Weighting Algorithms

Pattrens of NSM Syntax of Semantic Primitives Prototypes in the Fields of Custom and Religion in Bali


 
 
 Efforts in documenting variations and clusterrs of Balinese lexicons, particularly in the fields of custom and religion, have been gradually made. The patterns of NSM syntax of prototypes of semantic primitives were thoroughly examined. Thus, an example of the use of the lexicon that represents each prototype of semantic primitives was made to complete the list of the lexicon previously studied.Therefore, NSM dictionary on prototypes of semantic primitives can be easily come into being.Data were obtained by the methods of participative observation, during which the techniques of Focus Group Discussion, recording, and note-taking were employed (Bungin, 2001:57; Moleong, 2000).In-depth interviews to several informants in the two regencies were carried out. The results of the interview were then cross-referenced to such key informants as tradition and community leaders. Data were comprehensively studied by the methods of padan of which relevant theories were used to study data and agih of which supporting equipment was sourced from the language itself (Sudaryanto, 2003). The results of data analysis showed that the patterns of NSM syntax were novelties by combination of several prototypes of semantic primitives accordingly. The patterns comprise of simple patterns, complex patterns, and the related specific patterns.
 
 

Semantic Classification of the Russian Speech Act Verbs

The paper presents a semantic analysis of the Russian speech-act verbs in terms of semantic primitives. The verbs whose content plane incorporates ‘speak’ as a semantic primitive are allocated to the Speech-Act Verb Class. A lower-level classification is based on the similarity of the propositional structure arrived at as a result of the semantic analysis. The research is based on the Russian translation of Henry Fielding’s novel ‘The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling’. As a result, a semantic classification of the Russian speech act verbs is presented.

Padrões de lexicalização no português brasileiro

As línguas neolatinas pertencem a um padrão de lexicalização em que a raiz verbal expressa os primitivos semânticos de MOVIMENTO e TRAJETÓRIA, deixando o MODO ou CAUSA serem expressos por um advérbio ou gerúndio. Em línguas de origem germânica, ao contrário, os verbos lexicalizam os primitivos semânticos de MOVIMENTO, MODO ou CAUSA; já a TRAJETÓRIA é expressa por um elemento gramatical associado ao verbo. Com base em alguns conceitos de evento de movimento, norteados pela semântica cognitiva, análise de exemplos retirados da obra O Hobbit e O Senhor dos anéis, o presente estudo mostrará, pelo menos, três padrões de lexicalização ao qual o português brasileiro se encaixa.

Lexical Representations of Prototypes of Semantic Primitives in Balinese Tradition and Their Meaning Configuration in English

Variation of Balinese lexicons, in particular to the field of tradition, needs documenting thoroughly. It can be done through mapping, explicating, and configurating the meaning of lexical representation of prototypes of semantic primitives based upon the theory of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (Wierzbicka, 1996) with its Cultural Scripts model (Goddard, 2002). Data was collected by a participative observation method of which the technique was in form of focus group discussion (Bungin, 2001: 57; Moleong, 2000). A deep interview was then applied in order to collect further information on the use of lexicons. Data was then comprehensively analyzed by a padan method by which relevant theories were employeed and an agih method of the language itself (Sudaryanto, 2003). The result of analysis showed that (1) There are 16 prototypes of semantic primitives of which Balinese lexical representations vary and fall into three different categories, namely impolite, neutral, and polite; (2) meaning explication and configuration of each lexical representation can be done with explanation of components of entity, process, manner, instruments, result, time, and cognitive aspects using low-level scripts model with if-when condition in specific Balinese culture.

Geospatial Information Categories Mapping in a Cross-lingual Environment: A Case Study of “Surface Water” Categories in Chinese and American Topographic Maps

The need for integrating geospatial information (GI) data from various heterogeneous sources has seen increased importance for geographic information system (GIS) interoperability. Using domain ontologies to clarify and integrate the semantics of data is considered as a crucial step for successful semantic integration in the GI domain. Nevertheless, mechanisms are still needed to facilitate semantic mapping between GI ontologies described in different natural languages. This research establishes a formal ontology model for cross-lingual geospatial information ontology mapping. By first extracting semantic primitives from a free-text definition of categories in two GI classification standards with different natural languages, an ontology-driven approach is used, and a formal ontology model is established to formally represent these semantic primitives into semantic statements, in which the spatial-related properties and relations are considered as crucial statements for the representation and identification of the semantics of the GI categories. Then, an algorithm is proposed to compare these semantic statements in a cross-lingual environment. We further design a similarity calculation algorithm based on the proposed formal ontology model to distance the semantic similarities and identify the mapping relationships between categories. In particular, we work with two GI classification standards for Chinese and American topographic maps. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the proposed model for cross-lingual geospatial information ontology mapping.

A New Method to Build NLP Knowledge for Improving Term Disambiguation

Term sense disambiguation is very essential for different approaches of NLP, including Internet search engines, information retrieval, Data mining, classification etc. However, the old methods using case frames and semantic primitives are not qualify for solving term ambiguities which needs a lot of information with sentences. This new approach introduces a building structure system of natural language knowledge. In this paper all surface case patterns is classified in advance with the consideration of the meaning of noun. Moreover, this paper introduces an efficient data structure using a trie which define the linkage among leaves and multi-attribute relations. By using this linkage multi-attribute relations, we can get a high frequent access among verbs and noun with an automatic generation of hierarchical relationships. In our experiment a large tagged corpus (Pan Treebank) is used to extract data. In our approach around 11,000 verbs and nouns is used for verifying the new method and made a hierarchy group of its noun. Moreover, the achievement of term disambiguating using our trie structure method and linking trie among leaves is 6% higher than old method.

If you study a word do you use it more often? Lexical repetition priming in a corpus of Natural Semantic Metalanguage publications

Psycholinguistic and corpus studies have shown that syntactic repetition priming can influence linguistic analyses. The impact of lexical repetition priming on linguistic work, on the other hand, has not been assessed. The current study finds evidence of lexical priming in a corpus of linguistics publications on the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM), in which semantic analyses are written using several dozen ‘semantic primitives’ such as something, know and place. NSM theorists are repeatedly exposed to a small set of words, much like subjects in lexical repetition priming experiments. When all analyses written in NSM are removed from NSM publications, these texts are found to nevertheless include significantly more ‘primitives’ than control publications, suggesting that the study of particular words can affect linguists’ lexical choices. This is potentially problematic for semantic analyses in NSM, which consist of strings of primitives selected by the analysts. These primitives are not considered to be English words, but have the same forms as English words. If priming occurs between the NSM analyses and their English environment, theorists’ exposure to English may impact their choice of primitives and the content of their analyses.

Semantic Decomposition and Reconstruction of Compound Buildings with Symmetric Roofs from LiDAR Data and Aerial Imagery

3D building models are important for many applications related to human activities in urban environments. However, due to the high complexity of the building structures, it is still difficult to automatically reconstruct building models with accurate geometric description and semantic information. To simplify this problem, this article proposes a novel approach to automatically decompose the compound buildings with symmetric roofs into semantic primitives by exploiting local symmetry contained in the building structure. In this approach, the proposed decomposition allows the overlapping of neighbor primitives and each decomposed primitive can be represented as a parametric form, which simplify the complexity of the building reconstruction and facilitate the integration of LiDAR data and aerial imagery into a parameters optimization process. The proposed method starts by extracting isolated building regions from the LiDAR point clouds. Next, point clouds belonging to each compound building are segmented into planar patches to construct an attributed graph, and then the local symmetries contained in the attributed graph are exploited to automatically decompose the compound buildings into different semantic primitives. In the final step, 2D image features are extracted depending on the initial 3D primitives generated from LiDAR data, and then the compound building is reconstructed using constraints from LiDAR data and aerial imagery by a nonlinear least squares optimization. The proposed method is applied to two datasets with different point densities to show that the complexity of building reconstruction can be reduced considerably by decomposing the compound buildings into semantic primitives. The experimental results also demonstrate that the traditional model driven methods can be further extended to the automated reconstruction of compound buildings by using the proposed semantic decomposition method.

Prosody and language comprehension.

This review provides a summary of the most recent advances on the study of how prosody is used during language comprehension. Prosody is characterized as an abstract structure composed of discrete tonal elements aligned with the segmental composition of the sentence organized in constituents of increasing size, and this structure is influenced by the phonological, syntactic, and informational structures of the sentence. Here, we discuss evidence that listeners are affected by prosody when establishing those linguistic structures. Prosody has been shown to influence the segmentation of the utterance into syllables and words, and, in some cases, whether a syllable or word is judged to be present or not. The literature on how prosody informs the structural relationship between words and phrases is also discussed, contrasting views that assume a direct (albeit probabilistic) link between syntax and prosody with those that posit a complex interface between syntax and prosodic structure. Finally, the role of prosody in conveying important aspects pertaining to the sentence's information structure (i.e., which parts of the sentence's meaning are highlighted and brought forward to the discourse, which ones are presupposed and left in the background, which attitudes are being conveyed about the concepts or propositional content) has long been recognized. Current research focuses on which prosodic elements contribute to marking the dimensions (or semantic primitives) of the information structure.

Semantic Primitives and Conceptual Focus

From the communicative point of view the concept is a cognitive model according to which the speaker uses a certain language unit in one or another way. The core of the concept has been named “the conceptual focus”. It includes the most stable central substantive components which are universal for the specific language community. Along with images, emotional and sensational constituents these cover the main essence of the concept content.