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UNLUNLA Language for A Language for

ComputersComputers

Hiroshi Uchida

UNL Foundation

Why a Language for

computers is necessary ?

A computer needs a capability to make knowledge processing.

A computer needs to shoulder thought and judgement of human using human knowledge.

A computer needs to make a processing based on contents.

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Why a Language for

computers is necessary ?

A computer needs to have knowledge for knowledge processing.

A computer needs to have knowledge to shoulder human.

A computer needs to have knowledge to process contents.

A computer needs a language to store, use, manage, create knowledge like human.

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Advantage of having a common language for

computers

A language for computers greatly reduces cost of developing knowledge or contents by sharing knowledge and contents of each system.

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What should be a language for

computers ? Artificial language without any

ambiguity Consists of;

syntaxvocabulary (words)semantics

Express information by classifying objectivity and subjectivity.

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How a Language for

Computers is developed ?

Define syntax

Develop vocabulary

Define semantics

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Role of Syntax in a

Language for Computers

Syntax specifies roles of words

Syntax specifies subjectivity

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How Syntax of a Language for Computers

is developed ?

A role of a word in a sentence decided by the syntax (marker) and the related word with this syntax (marker).

Syntax (marker) should be defined so as to specifies a role without any ambiguity.

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How Syntax of a Language for Computers

is developed ?

When a word has relations between more than one other word, each relation should be set as to be able to identify each relation on the premise that we have enough knowledge about the concept of each word expressed.

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How Syntax of a Language for Computers

is developed ?

When there are relations between words, each relation should be set so as to be able to understand the role of each UW only by referring to the relation label.

 

Collect every subjectivity used in NL.

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Role of Words in a

Language for Computers

A word should express a concept.

That word should be non-ambiguous.

A word should have a well defined semantics.

(understandable for computers)

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How Words of a Language for Computers is

developed ?

Words of a language can be developed by every people

Methodology to develop words should be clear enough.

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How Words of a Language for Computers is

developed ?

Common symbol are necessary to express concepts for developers.

Combination of common symbols restrict meaning.

Using combination of common symbols, words of a language can be developed.

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Role of Semantics in a

Language for Computers

Meanings of words should be defined so as to computers can understand them

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How Semantics of a Language for Computers

is developed ?

Semantics of a word is defined by defining possible relations with other words.

Collect possible relations between words.

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UNL: a Language for

Computers Artificial language (Semantic Network)

A node represents a concept An arc represents a relationA node can be annotated by attributes

Consists of;Universal Words: vocabularyRelations, Attributes: syntaxKnowledge Base: semantics

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Long ago, in the city of Babylon, the people begun to build a huge tower, which seemed about to reach the heavens.

buildbegun tower

long ago people

seemedreach

heaven

huge

tim agt agt aoj

plc obj obj

gol

obj obj

Babylon

city

modobj

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Long ago, in the city of Babylon, the people begun to build a huge tower, which seemed about to reach the heavens.

{unl}tim(begin(agt>thing,obj>thing).@entry.@past,long ago(icl>ago))mod(city(icl>region).@def,Babylon(icl>city))plc(begin(agt>thing,obj>thing).@entry.@past,city(icl>region).@def)agt(begin(agt>thing,obj>thing).@entry.@past,people(icl>person).

@def)obj(begin(agt>thing,obj>thing).@entry.@past,build(icl>do).@past)agt(build(agt>thing,obj>thing),people(icl>person).@def)obj(build(agt>thing,obj>thing),tower(icl>building))aoj(huge(icl>big),tower(icl>building))aoj(seem(icl>be).@past,tower(icl>building))obj(seem(icl>be).@past,reach(icl>come).@begin.@soon)obj(reach(icl>come).@begin.@soon,tower(icl>building))gol(reach(icl>come).@begin.@soon,heaven(icl>region).@def.@pl){/unl}

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RelationRelation

Constitutes syntax of the UNL Expresses objectivity together with

UWs Expresses how concepts(UW)

constitutes a sentence related each other

38 relationsagt and aoj bas cag cao cnt cob con coo dur fmt frm ins man met mod nam obj or per plc plf plt pof pos ptn pur qua rsn scn seq src tim tmf tmt to via

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AttributeAttribute

Constitutes syntax of the UNLExpresses subjectivity

evaluation of the speaker for the concepts(sentence)

Tense, aspect, mood, etc.

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AttributeAttribute Time with respect to speaker

@past @present @future

Speaker’s view of aspect@begin-soon @begin-just @progress

　 @end-soon @end-just @complete @state @repeat

Speaker’s view of reference@generic @def @indef @not @ordinal

Speaker’s focus@emphasis @entry @qfocus @theme @title @topic

Speaker’s attitude@affirmative @confirmation @exclamation @imperative @interrogative @invitation @politeness @respect @vocativeU

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AttributeAttribute Speaker’s viewpoint

@ability, @ability-past, @admire, @although,

@ask-back, @conclusion, @custom, ＠ doubt,@expectation, @grant, @grant-not, @induce,

@inevitability, @insistence, @intention, @may,@obligation, @obligation-not, @possibility,@probability, @regret, @request, @should,@unexpected-presumption, @unexpected-consequence, @will

Convention@angle_bracket, @double_parenthesis,

@double_quotation, @parenthesis, @pl,@single_quotation, @square_bracket

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UniversalUniversal WordWord

Vocabulary of the UNLAdopt English words as common

symbols for developers A UW represents a concept 1) Basic UW

ex) spring

2) Restricted UW

ex) spring(icl>tool)

spring(icl>season) spring(agt>person,obj>person)

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How to define an UWHow to define an UW(1)(1)

One must decide to which category listed below each concept (meaning) belongs

Nominal Concept Verbal Concept Adjective Concept Adverbial Concept

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How to define an UWHow to define an UW(2)(2)

Nominal Concept

swallow(icl>thing) Verbal Concept

change(agt>thing) I changed my mind.

change(obj>thing) The weather will change. 

remember(agt>thing) I cannot remember his name.

remember(aoj>thing) Do you remember me?

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How to define an UWHow to define an UW(3)(3)

Adjective Conceptpositive(aoj>thing) Are you positive abo

ut that?

a positive fact

only(mod<thing) the only person

Adverbial Conceptweekly(icl>how) This class is held

weekly.

only(icl>how) The child only cried.

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If the ambiguity of an UW cannot be solved or still remains by attaching each of the above category labels, UW hierarchy or case relations will be used.

Attaching above categoryswallow(icl>bird) the bird

“One swallow does not make a summer”

swallow(icl>action) the action of swallowing“at one swallow”

swallow(icl>quantity) the quantity“take a swallow of water”

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NHow to define an UWHow to define an UW

(4)(4)

Using (case) relations and what it takesspring(agt>thing,obj>wood) bending or dividing

something

spring(agt>thing,obj>mine)) blasting something

spring(agt>thing,obj>person, escaping (from) prison

src>prison))

spring(agt>thing,gol>place) jumping up

“to spring up”

spring(agt>thing,gol>thing) jumping on

“to spring on”

spring(obj>liquid) gushing out

“to spring out”

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NHow to define an UWHow to define an UW

(5)(5)

Role of Master

Definition of a concept

A Master Definition defines a label for a concept (UW) and possible relations with other concepts (UW)

How to connect Uws to another UWs.

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How to develop MD

First decide a label for a concept (UW)

Define possible relations with other concept (UW)

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How to develop MD

ex)

Dixie(icl>jazz{>music})Dixie(icl>jazz)—icljazz(icl>music))

bark(agt>dog{>mammal,icl>sound(agt>thing)})

bark(agt>dog)—agtdog(icl>manmal)

bark(agt>dog)—iclsound(agt>thing)

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UNL Knowledge BaseUNL Knowledge Base

Collection of concept from each language

Define every possible relations between concepts (UWs)

Ex)

dog(icl>mammal)—iclanimal(icl>living thing)bite(agt>animal,obj>thing)—agt

animal(libing thing)eat(agt>volitional thing)—obj

food(icl>functional thing)

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UNL Knowledge BaseUNL Knowledge Base

UW system (hierarchy) is introduced for:1. to generate a word when a concept

is not included in a language

2. to reduce KB entries which can be deductively inferred

ex)dog(icl>mammal)—iclmammal (icl>animal)

KB give semantics of UWs

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Communication with Communication with human languagehuman language

A language for computers needs to have a bridge to human languages to:

get knowledge or information

expressed in human languages express knowledge or content of

computers in human languages.

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UNL-Language UNL-Language Ｍａｓｔｅｒ Ｍａｓｔｅｒ DictioDictio

narynary

Defines the link between a word of a language and a UW

Defines grammatical features when a word express a concept (UW)

Define KB when someone introduce a new UW

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Development UNL

UNL should be developed by all the people in the world

• Universal words necessary for each language

• UNL center will develop at least 200,000 UWs in this tear.

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What we expect to be developed by people

in the world

UNL should be developed by all the people in the world

• Universal words necessary for each language

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What we expect to be developed by people in

the world Language Servers for new languages

and new domains

Application systems such as:

Information Retrieval System

UNL based Search Engines

Browsers

Editors/Word Processors

Machine translation Systems

UNL Web Pages

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Top 10 Languages by Top 10 Languages by PopulationPopulation

RANK LANGUAGE POPULATION_______________________________________

1. CHINESE, MANDARIN885,000,000

2. SPANISH 332,000,000

3. ENGLISH 322,000,000

4. BENGALI 189,000,000

5. HINDI 182,000,000

6. ARABIC, ALL COUNTRIES 177,000,000

7. PORTUGUESE 170,000,000

8. RUSSIAN 170,000,000

9. JAPANESE 125,000,000

10. GERMAN, STANDARD 98,000,000

11. CHINESE, WU 77,175,000

___________________________________________Ethnologue:Languages of

the World

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