Parts of speech accurate enough?
Ruud Harmsen
(nouns, verbs etc.) isn't too coarse to explain the syntax rules of
a language. What if a certain syntactic construction if only possible
with a limited number of words, but not with others, even if it makes sense
semantically?
Dutch has an example of this in "ik zit naar de sterren te kijken"
(I sit and watch the stars). This construction is possible with
only FIVE verbs (known so far), but not with others. Viz. walk, sit,
stand, lie and hang can be used, but not ride, run, creep, etc.
If this occurs often in a language, it will be an obstacle for computer
translation, because just a list of words and their part of speech won't
do, you must also record "can be used with this and that construction".
Examples in English (from "A Practical English Grammar",
Thomson & Martinet, 4th edition):
The most useful verbs which can be followed directly by the infinitive are:
agree, aim, appear ... (list of some 50 verbs, some are which are specially
marked for an extra ability to be used with a that-clause, and/or a
"that .. should" construction. (Paragraph 241).
And paragraph 251:
A number of nouns can be followed directly by the infinitive. Some
of the most useful are:
ability, ambition, etc.
Tim Dugan
Ruud Harmsen <rhar...@knoware.nl> wrote:
>I wonder if the traditional classification of words by part of speech
>(nouns, verbs etc.) isn't too coarse to explain the syntax rules of
Of course. The 8 categories noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb,
conjunction, preposition, and interjection are mearly a rough model
of how grammar works. Clearly, there are different types of nouns
("a dog" but not "a sand"), different types of verbs, etc. This is
not to mention that words can fit in more than one category...grammar
is far more complex than 8 categories...
>If this occurs often in a language, it will be an obstacle for computer
>translation, because just a list of words and their part of speech won't
>do, you must also record "can be used with this and that construction".
Um, sounds right...
>[...]
>The most useful verbs which can be followed directly by the infinitive are:
>agree, aim, appear ... [...]
I'm not sure how, but I would suggest working at a deeper level of
structure...
-t
--
"Nothing is True. Everything is permitted." -- Naked Lunch
Erland Sommarskog
>Of course. The 8 categories noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb,
>conjunction, preposition, and interjection are mearly a rough model
>of how grammar works.
Eight? When I was in primary school they taught me there were
nine, numbers being the ninth. But much later that they were
silent on particles...
--
Erland Sommarskog, som...@enea.se, Stockholm