Syntax Of Language Research Articles

Sham: A DSL for Fast DSLs

Domain-specific languages (DSLs) are touted as both easy to embed in programs and easy to optimize. Yet these goals are often in tension. Embedded or internal DSLs fit naturally with a host language, while inheriting the host's performance characteristics. External DSLs can use external optimizers and languages but sit apart from the host. We present Sham, a toolkit designed to enable internal DSLs with high performance. Sham provides a domain-specific language (embedded in Racket) for implementing other high-performance DSLs, with transparent compilation to assembly code at runtime. Sham is well suited as both a compilation target for other embedded DSLs and for transparently replacing DSL support code with faster versions. Sham provides seamless inter-operation with its host language without requiring any additional effort from its users. Sham also provides a framework for defining language syntax which implements Sham's own language interface as well. We validate Sham's design on a series of case studies, ranging from Krishnamurthi's classic automata DSL to a sound synthesis DSL and a probabilistic programming language. All of these are existing DSLs where we replaced the backend using Sham, resulting in major performance gains. We present an example-driven description of how Sham can smoothly enhance an existing DSL into a high-performance one. When compared to existing approaches for implementing high-performance DSLs, Sham's design aims for both simplicity and programmer control. This makes it easier to port our techniques to other languages and frameworks, or borrow Sham's innovations "\`a la carte" without adopting the whole approach. Sham builds a sophisticated and powerful DSL construction toolkit atop fundamental language features including higher-order functions, data structures, and a foreign-function interface (FFI), all readily available in other languages. Furthermore, Sham's approach allows DSL developers to simply write functions, either using Sham or generating Sham, without needing to work through complex staging or partial evaluation systems.

The Compressed Vocabulary of Microbial Life.

Communication is an undisputed central activity of life that requires an evolving molecular language. It conveys meaning through messages and vocabularies. Here, I explore the existence of a growing vocabulary in the molecules and molecular functions of the microbial world. There are clear correspondences between the lexicon, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of language organization and the module, structure, function, and fitness paradigms of molecular biology. These correspondences are constrained by universal laws and engineering principles. Macromolecular structure, for example, follows quantitative linguistic patterns arising from statistical laws that are likely universal, including the Zipf’s law, a special case of the scale-free distribution, the Heaps’ law describing sublinear growth typical of economies of scales, and the Menzerath–Altmann’s law, which imposes size-dependent patterns of decreasing returns. Trade-off solutions between principles of economy, flexibility, and robustness define a “triangle of persistence” describing the impact of the environment on a biological system. The pragmatic landscape of the triangle interfaces with the syntax and semantics of molecular languages, which together with comparative and evolutionary genomic data can explain global patterns of diversification of cellular life. The vocabularies of proteins (proteomes) and functions (functionomes) revealed a significant universal lexical core supporting a universal common ancestor, an ancestral evolutionary link between Bacteria and Eukarya, and distinct reductive evolutionary strategies of language compression in Archaea and Bacteria. A “causal” word cloud strategy inspired by the dependency grammar paradigm used in catenae unfolded the evolution of lexical units associated with Gene Ontology terms at different levels of ontological abstraction. While Archaea holds the smallest, oldest, and most homogeneous vocabulary of all superkingdoms, Bacteria heterogeneously apportions a more complex vocabulary, and Eukarya pushes functional innovation through mechanisms of flexibility and robustness.

What Are the Modulators of Cross-Language Syntactic Activation During Natural Reading?

Bilinguals juggle knowledge of multiple languages, including syntactic constructions that can mismatch (e.g., the red car, la voiture rouge; Mary sees it, Mary le voit). We used eye-tracking to examine whether French-English (n = 23) and English-French (n = 21) bilingual adults activate non-target language syntax during English L2 (Experiment 1) and L1 (Experiment 2) reading, and whether this differed from functionally monolingual English reading (Experiment 3, n = 26). People read English sentences containing syntactic constructions that were either partially shared across languages (adjective-noun constructions) or completely unshared (object-pronoun constructions). These constructions were presented in an intact form, or in a violated form that was French-consistent or French-inconsistent. For both L2 and L1 reading, bilinguals read French-consistent adjective-noun violations relatively quickly, suggesting cross-language activation. This did not occur when the same people read object-pronoun constructions manipulated in the same manner. Surprisingly, English readers exposed to French in their lifetime but functionally monolingual, also read French-consistent violations for adjective-noun constructions faster, particularly for some items. However, when we controlled for item differences in the L2 and L1 reading data, cross-language effects observed were similar to the original data pattern. Moreover, individual differences in L2 experience modulated both L2 and L1 reading for adjective-noun constructions, consistent with a cross-language activation interpretation of the data. These findings are consistent with the idea of syntactic cross-language activation during reading for some constructions. However, for several reasons, cross-language syntactic activation during comprehension may be overall more variable and challenging to investigate methodologically compared to past work on other forms of cross-language activation (i.e., single words).

КЫРГЫЗ ТИЛ ИЛИМИНДЕГИ СҮЙЛӨМ ЖАНА СӨЗ АЙКАШТАРЫ МАСЕЛЕСИ

The complexity of the issues of syntax, the variety of syntactic categories and the versatility of their interpretations due to the need for a deep analysis of words and expressions in the field of Kyrgyz linguistics-indicate the relevance of this article. Published in 1992 and making a significant contribution not only to the syntax of the Kyrgyz language, but also to Turkology in general, Abdygul Zhaparov's scientific work on the "Syntactic structure of the Kyrgyz language" tells about the general level of development of the Kyrgyz syntactic science. At the same time, the article describes in detail the new directions and discoveries in the field of syntax of the Kyrgyz language since the 90s. For example, A. Imanov's textbook " Kyrgyz Tili”, published in 1990 for part-time students of higher educational institutions, consists of sections that tell about phrases and sentences. As the main goal of the research,the author sets the study of word combinations and the definition of their grammatical nature. So in order to accurately determine the nature of the phrase, a. Imanov compares a phrase with a word and a sentence, showing its main differences from a stable phrase, and as a result distinguishes a free phrase into a special group. As a result, the author could not bring the concept of a free phrase to its logical conclusion on a scientific basis, completely squeezing it out of use. So at present, both the terms phrase and free phrase are treated as identical concepts. Therefore, our next task in this article is to separate these two concepts from each other and define each of them.

ОКУМУШТУУ М.МУРАТАЛИЕВ ЖАНА КЫРГЫЗ ТИЛ ИЛИМИНИН СИНТАКСИС МАСЕЛЕЛЕРИ

The problems of studying complex sentences, considered in the field of traditional syntax of Kyrgyz linguistics, are studied from different points of view and are not fully scientifically justified, which can be traced in general textbooks, scientific and theoretical works. Therefore, the relevance of the article is due to the need to study the issues of complex sentences in the framework of the syntax of the Kyrgyz language. In addition, some scientists note that the issue we are considering is still controversial among scientists. For example, the scientist M. V. Muratalieva, in her scientific work on “Complex Sentences in the Kyrgyz language”, published in the 1980s, identifies the main types of complex sentences and examines the differences between them. The paper describes the relationship between equal simple sentences that have independent semantic meanings as part of a compound sentence, and also considers the relationship between the main sentence and one or more subordinate clauses. The author sets the main goal of the study to study the possibility of using a simple sentence as part of a complex sentence separately, the presence of simple sentences in their structure and structure of features that distinguish them from complex sentences, and as a result, comes to the conclusion that it is unacceptable to separate individual parts of a complex sentence, thereby excluding the possibility of using and considering them outside of complex sentences. Thus, simple sentences in a compound sentence are closely interrelated with each other, forming a unity not only in semantic terms, but also in structural terms.

Practical and comprehensive formalisms for modelling contemporary graph query languages

The industry-wide adoption of graph databases has been hindered due to the fragmentation in syntax and semantics of available graph query languages. As a result, several projects have been proposed by industry and academia to develop a standard query language by integrating features from existing practical graph query languages. A significant factor that can impact query language integration is the lack of common theoretical language formalisms. We propose common formalisms by extending conjunctive queries and union of conjunctive queries with Tarski’s relation algebra (CQT/UCQT). We use common graph query patterns to compare the expressive power of (CQT/UCQT) with two practical graph query languages - Cypher and PGQL. The query languages are analysed on the core features of graph pattern matching and graph navigation, revealing the common and exclusive characteristics for these languages. Overall, our study serves as a formal basis for comparing existing graph query languages and assists the move towards query language integration and interoperability between available graph database technologies.

Teaching Commercial Correspondence for Business-English-Majored Students in Ho Chi Minh University of Food Industry: Difficulties and Recommendations

The aim of this paper is to figure out the difficulties the students of Bachelor of Business English in Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI) face in commercial correspondence. During the 4th semester of Bachelor of Business English, students in HUFI study the course of commercial correspondence. The major barrier for these students is their inability to use terminology and syntax correctly. For this purpose, data were collected from 100 students from two Business-English-majored classes in HUFI using timed Grammaticality Judgment Tests proposed by Ellis, R. (2005). The results showed that most students were not familiar with terminology commonly used in commerce; they failed to use formal English language syntax in their correspondence writing. In the post-test interviews, students shared that they were not equipped with enough terminology used in commerce, and it was so complicated to use grammar correctly in commercial correspondence. The findings in this paper may serve as a foundation to figure out factors that need to be considered when designing materials and teaching business English.

ROZWÓJ TEORII UMYSŁU U DZIECI GŁUCHYCH I NIEDOSŁYSZĄCYCH BĘDĄCYCH UŻYTKOWNIKAMI IMPLANTÓW ŚLIMAKOWYCH. PRZEGLĄD LITERATURY

Theory of mind (ToM) is the mental capacity that allows us to represent the mental states (beliefs, desires, emotions) of other people, infer them from situational cues, and predict their behavior. According to the standard view, the most important milestone in ToM development – the ability to pass the false belief test (FBT) – emerges around four years of age. FBT requires one to understand that the beliefs of others are independent from reality and from one’s own beliefs, and that their behavior can be predicted by their mental states. Previous research has indicated that deaf and hard-of-hearing children born into hearing families (DoH) are at risk of delayed ToM development due to restricted social interactions. However, these findings are unclear for DoH children who receive cochlear implants (CIs) and whose hearing is partially restored. In this review, we summarize research on the development of ToM in DoH children with cochlear implants (CIs). We describe how language (vocabulary and syntax) influences ToM. Finally, we discuss the nature of social interactions that facilitate ToM development in children with typical hearing as well as in DoH children with CIs.

Striatum and language processing: Where do we stand?

More than a century ago, Broca (1861), Wernicke (1874) and Lichteim (1885) laid the foundations for the first anatomo-functional model of language, secondarily enriched by Geschwind (1967), leading to the Broca-Wernicke-Lichteim-Geschwind model. This model included the frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices as well as a subcortical structure, which could be the striatum, whose nature and role have remained unclear. Although the emergence of language deficits in patients with striatal injury has challenged the cortical language models developed over the past 30 years, the integration of the striatum into language processing models remains rare. The main argument for not including the striatum in language processing is that the disorders observed in patients with striatal dysfunction may result from the striatal role in cognitive functions beyond language, and not from the impairment of language itself. Indeed, unraveling the role of the striatum and the frontal cortex, linked by the fronto-striatal pathway, is a challenge. Here, we first reviewed the studies that explored the link between striatal functions and the different levels of language (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexico-semantics). We then looked at the language models, which included the striatum, and found that none of them captured the diversity of experimental data in this area. Finally, we propose an integrative anatomo-functional model of language processing combining traditional language processing levels and some “executive” functions, known to improve the efficiency and fluidity of language: control, working memory, and attention. We argue that within this integrative model, the striatum is a central node of a verbal executive network that regulates, monitors, and controls the allocations of limited cognitive resources (verbal working memory and verbal attention), whatever the language level. This model combines data from neurology, psycholinguistics, and cognitive science.

Menzerath’s Law in the Syntax of Languages Compared with Random Sentences

The Menzerath law is considered to show an aspect of the complexity underlying natural language. This law suggests that, for a linguistic unit, the size (y) of a linguistic construct decreases as the number (x) of constructs in the unit increases. This article investigates this property syntactically, with x as the number of constituents modifying the main predicate of a sentence and y as the size of those constituents in terms of the number of words. Following previous articles that demonstrated that the Menzerath property held for dependency corpora, such as in Czech and Ukrainian, this article first examines how well the property applies across languages by using the entire Universal Dependency dataset ver. 2.3, including 76 languages over 129 corpora and the Penn Treebank (PTB). The results show that the law holds reasonably well for . Then, for comparison, the property is investigated with syntactically randomized sentences generated from the PTB. These results show that the property is almost reproducible even from simple random data. Further analysis of the property highlights more detailed characteristics of natural language.

NOUN PHRASES AND THEIR SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS IN ENGLISH AND ALBANIAN LANGUAGE

A phrase is a word or a group of words that may stand as a single grammatical unit. It can be part of a clause or a sentence with or without any specific meaning. Phrases are mandatory constituents of simple, complex and compound sentences. The syntax of Albanian language has an early beginning, but its development is still an ongoing process. The main issues faced by the syntax of Albanian language have been the terminology, definition and classification of grammar and syntactic units. In the syntax of Albanian language there is a constant process of codification, i.e., definition of units and syntactic categories. Our interest here is the definition of the terms word-group, syntagm, phrase and syntactic constituent . On the other hand, the term phrase is well defined in English language. Clear and timely classification of different types of phrases has facilitated syntactic analysis of clauses and sentences. Phrases and the types of phrases are different in English and Albanian language. Apart from the type, the number of phrases is also different. The noun phrase is the most important phrase in both English and Albanian language because of its syntactic functions. While other phrases have more limited syntactic functions, noun phrases may function as a subject, object (direct or indirect object), subject complement, object complement, modifier or apposition. Keywords: Phrases, noun phrases, syntactic functions, English, Albanian.

CMMN evaluation: the modelers’ perceptions of the main notation elements

Case Management Model and Notation (CMMN) has been introduced as a graphical modeling language targeting the modeling of human-centric processes. Despite its growing reputation since 2016, when the OMG standant was released, the usage and the adoption potential of CMMN is not yet evaluated. The goal of this paper is to evaluate CMMN language and the contribution of its main notation elements to its future adoption, based on the experience of modelers. A CMMN workshop was conducted, where groups of modelers modeled two different human-centric, real-world processes with CMMN. The effectiveness and efficiency of the language and modelers’ usage experience were evaluated. Their perception of the role of the CMMN notation elements to their future adoption CMMN have been recorded through a survey. A multi-criteria decision making method (Analytic Hierarchy Process–AHP) was utilized for analyzing the answers and generating the results. The evaluation results showed that CMMN language could be adopted for modeling non-structural processes and the study participants showed a positive attitude towards adopting CMMN driven by the fact that they overall perceived it as useful. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to evaluate CMMN language’s usability and prospects of adoption. Moreover, this is the first empirical study that explores the syntax of a process modeling language and its effect on its usage and adoption. Overall, since interest in CMMN is increasing, this work could inspire future researchers and practitioners to further explore the CMMN usage and adoption potential.

A Model for Enhancing Algorithmic Thinking in Programming Education using PAAM

Most novice programmers consider learning to program as a difficult and challenging field of study for them. As a result, high dropout and failure rates in programming one courses reported. One of the reasons is that most programming (1) courses don’t give equal attention to syntax and semantics of programming language and algorithmic thinking. In this study, a web application based on Problem Analysis and Algorithmic Model (PAAM) was prepared and acquainted in the programming (1) course. The application focuses on problem analysis and algorithmic thinking. The influence on genders' opinion after offering the PAAM model in the programming (1) course determined by organizing a survey. The mean values of the male and female survey respondents compared by performing the T-test. The purpose is to determine if there is any significant difference between the mean values. Results show that students appreciated the web application in the programming (1) course. Male students discerned more positive responses in the survey questions compared to female students. The T-test result shows a significant difference between the values of respondents because the p-value for equal variances assumed is (.000), which is less than p = 0.05. The application encourages a new approach based on four steps (problem statement → problem analysis → problem-solving skills → code) for novices. The application helps students to understand programming structures, program design and comprehension.

Convergence Analysis of the Straightforward Expansion Perturbation Method for Weakly Nonlinear Vibrations

There are typically several perturbation methods for approaching the solution of weakly nonlinear vibrations (where the nonlinear terms are “small” compared to the linear ones): the Method of Strained Parameters, the Naive Singular Perturbation Method, the Method of Multiple Scales, the Method of Harmonic Balance and the Method of Averaging. The Straightforward Expansion Perturbation Method (SEPM) applied to weakly nonlinear vibrations does not usually yield to correct solutions. In this manuscript, we provide mathematical proof of the inaccuracy of the SEPM in general cases. Nevertheless, we also provide a sufficient condition for the SEPM to be successfully applied to weakly nonlinear vibrations. This mathematical formalism is written in the syntax of the first-order formal language of Set Theory under the methodology framework provided by the Category Theory.

Development and application of the geometry constructions language to building computer geometric models

Geometric models for industrial purposes are created in CAD systems making use of geometric constructions commands. At the same time, the so-called constructive or synthetic (as opposed to analytical) method to create a geometric model is implemented. The set of tools of any CAD system is limited, so accomplishing a specific task will require repeating a series of geometric constructions of the same type to form the desired shape. In this paper, a specific GC language (Geometry Constructions Language) is proposed to introduce an automated process of geometric modeling. To do this, theoretical issues of constructive geometry are analyzed, the main objects and syntax of the GC language are identified. The paper provides an example of building a model of a temple dome using GC language translator. It is noted that the GC language allows geometric modeling of regular curves (including trajectory of objects) and surfaces and applying new geometric correspondences and transformations. At the same time, geometric models in CAD systems are created faster since you don’t have to repeat manually the same type of construction or develop new equations and formulas for calculations.

RELEVANCE OF TRANSLATION IN ESP TEACHING METHODOLOGY

This paper offers an observation and discussion on the relevance and scope of presence of translation within English for Specific Purposes courses in academic settings of the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš. There is concern with methodological issues of translation skills regarding domain terminology. This subsumes translation methodology, finding precise target language equivalents, as well as determining whether to translate a text, respecting the syntax of the target language, or to paraphrase it with the primary aim to most precisely convey information contained in the original. The main argument and the issue of the survey conducted with the students of both faculties is direct correlation between translation, or absence of it for that matter, and the cognition of the domain content taught. Then, there is an emphasis on a wider social context that implies inducing in students the awareness of the responsibility they as future professionals and experts in their field have towards their own mother tongue in the dissemination of content knowledge. It is common in the Serbian scientific and professional environment that the translation of scientific texts in English is done by domain experts without consulting linguists, philologists of Serbian language. The consequence is mere (and often incorrect) transliteration of English scientific terminology, and ultimately uncurbed influx of foreign terminology. Yet another argument on the relevance of the previous one is that translation enhances soft transversal skills such as thoughtfulness and critical thinking which among others benefit comprehension of the domain knowledge, as it has been noted that professors, and then students use the English terminology while speaking Serbian, where the latter group do not fully understand the content presented in such scientific ‘newspeak’. The paper presents concrete teaching practice which has for its goal inducing the students with cautiousness when choosing professional terminology in either language.

Straight quotes, square brackets: Page-based poetics inflected with the syntax and grammar of code languages

This article traces the translation of texts between cultural and linguistic contexts, between academic and public-facing audiences, between print, digital, and performed forms. It is primarily concerned with questions of punctuation arising from the translation of poetic texts from digital into print contexts, with a particular attention to brackets and quotation marks. Building on a series of talks, its current iteration as an online publication this article continues an on-going exploration of the movement of language across, beyond, and through in-between spaces. The idea of “between” is considered here as a third time/space/state, a texture, an event, a palpable unfolding fraught with cacophony, liminality, atemporality and asynchronous exchanges. In keeping with its transient subject, this article alternates between lyrical and analytical modes.

Hierarchical syntactic processing is beyond mere associating: Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence from a novel artificial grammar.

Grammar is central to any natural language. In the past decades, the artificial grammar of the AnBn type in which a pair of associated elements can be nested in the other pair was considered as a desirable model to mimic human language syntax without semantic interference. However, such a grammar relies on mere associating mechanisms, thus insufficient to reflect the hierarchical nature of human syntax. Here, we test how the brain imposes syntactic hierarchies according to the category relations on linearized sequences by designing a novel artificial “Hierarchical syntactic structure‐building Grammar” (HG), and compare this to the AnBn grammar as a “Nested associating Grammar” (NG) based on multilevel associations. Thirty‐six healthy German native speakers were randomly assigned to one of the two grammars. Both groups performed a grammaticality judgment task on auditorily presented word sequences generated by the corresponding grammar in the scanner after a successful explicit behavioral learning session. Compared to the NG group, we found that the HG group showed a (a) significantly higher involvement of Brodmann area (BA) 44 in Broca's area and the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG); and (b) qualitatively distinct connectivity between the two regions. Thus, the present study demonstrates that the build‐up process of syntactic hierarchies on the basis of category relations critically relies on a distinctive left‐hemispheric syntactic network involving BA 44 and pSTG. This indicates that our novel artificial grammar can constitute a suitable experimental tool to investigate syntax‐specific processes in the human brain.

Native-like Event-related Potentials in Processing the Second Language Syntax: Late Bilinguals

Background: The P600 brain wave reflects syntactic processes in response to different first language (L1) syntactic violations, syntactic repair, structural reanalysis, and specific semantic components. Unlike semantic processing, aspects of the second language (L2) syntactic processing differ from the L1, particularly at lower levels of proficiency. At higher L2 proficiency, syntactic violations are more likely to result in P600, similar to the L1 native speakers. Objectives: This study aims to assess the effect of proficiency on L2 syntactic processing in late bilinguals and determine whether L1-like cerebral activation patterns will result. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive quantitative research, the subjects were two groups of Persian-English bilinguals (L1=Persian, L2=English; n=10 high-proficient, n=10 low-proficient; gender=female who started learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) after the age of 15 through explicit instructions. Within the violation paradigm, Event-related Potentials (ERPs) were collected from the subjects in the neurocognitive lab of Shahid Beheshti University, Iran, in 2019- 20. The experimental trials of the ERP task included violated English regular past tense verbs. ERP components were compared with those of the L1 (components closer to P600). Results: The t-value for P600 peak latency differed significantly only for the Incorrect past tense verb (ICV) condition and only in O2 (P=0.039463, t=2.2205, CI: 0.003112- 0.11249, P<0.05) between the two groups (higher in the high proficient group). Conclusion: P600 for the high-proficient group demonstrated that L2 proficiency was a more determinant factor in L1-like cortical representation of L2 than the age of acquisition and or the type of context.

The role of textual binding element “Now about...” in the text structure

The binding element “Now about...” is a means of formation of distant cohesion in the text. It combines the features of grammatical and lexical means of connectivity, which is substantiated by its structure: presence of the permanent grammaticalized component “now about” and substitutable position for preposition. Within the structure of the text, the binding element performs the transition to a new micro-theme as part of the macro-theme, while fulfilling a prospective or a prospective-retrospective function. In terms of prospective function, the formal role is played by grammaticalized component of the binding element, and in terms of prospective-retrospective – both  components; the functions are allocated as follows: free component of the binding element serves as a keyword and fulfills distant retrospective cohesion, while grammaticalized component “now about” due to its semantics, forms the relations of prospection.  The binding element “Now about...” may interact with other logical bonds and also form connectivity, which testifies to its functional self-sufficiency. The acquired results can be applied in lexicographic practice for the development and creation of lexical entries for dictionaries of functional words of the Russian language, in editorial activity, in teaching the syntax of the Russian language, for philological analysis of the text, as well as in teaching Russian as a foreign language.