Natural Language Processing Fundamentals and Applications
Understanding Ambiguity in NLP
Ambiguity occurs when a word, phrase, or sentence has more than one possible meaning. It is present at all levels of NLP (lexical, syntactic, semantic, discourse, and pragmatic).
- Example 1: “The chicken is ready to eat” – chicken (food) or chicken (bird).
- Example 2: “The man saw the girl with the telescope” – who has the telescope?
Types of Ambiguity
- Lexical Ambiguity – A word having multiple meanings (e.g., bat, bank).
- Syntactic (Structural) Ambiguity –
Fundamentals of Human Language Processing: Psycholinguistics
What is Psycholinguistics?
Psycholinguistics studies how language is acquired, represented, processed, and used in the human mind/brain. It focuses on language production, comprehension, and acquisition.
Creativity of Human Language
- Human language is infinitely creative.
- Speakers can produce and understand novel sentences they have never heard before.
- This is possible because language uses rules plus a finite vocabulary results in infinite sentences.
Language vs. Speech vs. Thought vs. Communication
Language
Read MoreTheories of Meaning: From Formal Logic to Cognitive Models
Chapter 1: What Is Semantics?
1.1 Definition and Scope
Semantics: The study of meaning as encoded in language. It is concerned with semantic knowledge – what speakers know about word and sentence meaning.
Linguistic Components:
- Phonology: The sound system of a language.
- Syntax: Sentence structure.
- Semantics: Meaning.
1.2 Semantics vs. Semiotics
Semiotics: The general study of signs (developed by Charles Sanders Peirce).
- Icon: A sign that resembles its object (e.g., a portrait).
- Index: A sign with a causal
Second Language Acquisition Stages: Syntax and Competition Model Principles
Six Stages of Second Language Syntactic Development
These stages illustrate the progression of processing capacity required for increasingly complex syntactic operations:
Stage 1: Canonical Order (SVO)
Learners at this stage primarily produce simple sentences with the basic Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order.
Processing Capacity
Learners can process and produce single constituents in their canonical order. They have not yet developed the processing mechanisms for more complex rearrangements.
Stage 2:
Read MoreUnderstanding Persuasive Language and Arguments
Fundamentals of Argument and Text Analysis
Core Components of an Argument
Fact: A statement that can be verified through experience or logic.
Inference: A conclusion reached based on evidence and logical reasoning from a fact.
Opinion: A conclusion that must be supported by facts and inferences.
Axiom: A statement that is established, accepted, or self-evidently true and does not require demonstration.
Thesis (or Central Hypothesis): The main point or claim that the author wants to prove.
Secondary Hypotheses:
Read MoreCore Principles of English Functional Grammar
Chapter 1: Language and Meaning
Unit 1: Core Concepts of Language and Meaning
The core idea is that language conveys meaning through grammar, context, and use. Functional grammar focuses on how form expresses function.
Key Definitions
- Language
- A structured system for human communication.
- Functional Grammar
- Explains how forms (words, clauses) express functions (meanings, actions).
- Communicative Act / Speech Act
- An action performed by saying something (e.g., stating, asking, commanding, promising).
- Proposition
- The