An algorithm of limited syntax based on language universals

• Authors: Peter Kümmel
• Venue: COLING '73 Proceedings of the 5th conference on Computational linguistics - Volume 2
• Year: 1973

Hundreds of differentiated syntactic rules as well as all kinds of phrase structures and conventions are dispersed over more than fifty s ill existing natural language systems. On the contrary meanings, represented by nouns, verbs and adjectives are internationally identical. Only the way they are carried and expressed by various national languages differs. Thus a fundamental division into two parts represents the main feature of the ALGORITHM OF LIMITED SYNTAX (ALS). This ALS-Division of natural language systems provides two groups of words:a) words representing nouns, verbs and adjectives as so called «content words» or more easily nominated as RADICALS andb) words expressing syntactic features and functions, the SYNTAX-PAR TICLES.While the human treasure of knowledge in form of meanings expressed by content-words is in no way curtailed by ALS-Rules, the vast .jungle of still existing syntactical features and syntagms will be drastically cooked down to the essentials. Thus the ALS-Rules comprehend several laws to limit syntagms, which are made clear by algorithms or verbal definitions. Still the limitations enforced by ALS-Rules are based on language universals and thus keep all information-expressions and -performances in the scope of a natural language system.