Search results for " Semantic"

On Referring to Gestalts

2010

This paper discusses a fresh approach to formal semantics based on mereology and Gestalt Theory. While Wiegand (2007, Spacial Cognition & Computation, Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum) unfolds the technical details of this new approach, the following paper aims to discuss the philosophical motivation an implications of what I have called mereological semantics. Particular attention will be given to an ongoing debate on the nature of relations.

The evolution of evolvability

2005

Ever since Ruth Garrett Millikan burst on the scene with her famous 1984 book Language, Thought, and Other Biological Categories [1] she has continued to make substantial contributions, in a remarkably sustained effort that significantly shaped the theoretical landscape in a number of fast-moving fields, from cognitive science to the philosophies of mind, language and biology [1–3]. One of her many achievements lies in the development of a new theoretical approach to cognitive semantics, which philosophers know under the heading of ‘teleofunctionalism’.

Between Composition and Emergentness: A Cognitive Semantics Re-Reading of the Way-Construction

2016

This study re-analyzes the English way-construction by having recourse to diverse concepts and tools of Talmy’s cognitive semantics. Drawing on his theory of recombinance and its relevance for conceptualizing the construction, the article implements Talmy’s theory of event integration, categorizes the way-construction as an instantiation of the open path event frame, considers link-ups of the schematic systems of force dynamics and attention as they become instantiated in the construction, and probes into its motion-aspect patterning, grounded in a conformation of space and time and resulting in a strategy that is called de-conflation. Further, it will recruit Talmy’s types of semantic conf…

Default Semantics and the architecture of the mind

2011

In this paper, I explore the relationship between Relevance Theory and Jaszczolt's Default Semantics, framing this debate within the picture of massive modularity tempered by the idea of brain plasticity (Perkins, 2007). While Relevance Theory focuses on processing (see cognitive efforts and contextual effects interplay), Default Semantics focuses on types of sources from which addressees draw information and types of processes that interact in providing it. In particular, I argue that Relevance Theory interacts with default semantics by standardizing inferences which are ultimately compressed (to use a term by Bach, 1998) into a default semantics. I briefly discuss potential obstacles to t…

The Case of Gabriel: A Linguistic Therapy of Evaluation Perspective

2010

This article describes the treatment of Gabriel, 24, an undergraduate student suffering from performance anxiety. His main symptoms were heart palpitations, aching muscles, inability to relax, nervousness, worry, and negative anticipation about performance in various classes. The treatment applied was 13 sessions of linguistic therapy of evaluation (LTE), a variety of cognitive therapy based on the theory of general semantics. The main therapeutic techniques involved emphasizing the difference between words and “facts” (the “map” and the “territory”), general semantics debate, and the focusing on orders of abstraction. Across treatment Gabriel showed a clear shift from an intensional orient…

(De)terminologisation processes in wine tasting notes : How expressive are canonical and non-canonical hedonic markers?

2022

Following the proposal of Gautier (2018), an important part of the “terminology” of wine tasting notes is made up by hedonic markers that cannot always be treated as terms – in the traditional meaning of technical/specialised terms – as they lack a consensual definition acknowledged by field experts. The main challenges of such markers concern at least the following three dimensions: (i) they are directly linked to the gustative experience of the taster/speaker and his/her experiential memory; (ii) they are also linked to the field knowledge and the degree of expertise of the taster/speaker – be it a “true” knowledge or his/her ability to imitate expert discourse and (iii) they are mostly s…

Software Architectures for Human-Machine Interaction Using Natural Language

Il linguaggio naturale rappresenta un sistema di comunicazione a carattere inferenziale in opposizione ai sistemi di comunicazione a codice che non prevedono una forma di ragionamento intelligente da parte del ricevente, ma si basano sul riconoscimento di patterns dell'informazione. In un sistema di comunicazione di tipo inferenziale, infatti, si parte dal presupposto che il ricevente abbia una certa "intelligenza" e sia, quindi, capace di comprendere, elaborare ed inferire il contenuto informativo di una comunicazione attraverso ragionamenti su un background di conoscenze (come modelli di mondo e di linguaggio) condivisi sia dalla sorgente che dal destinatario. L'attività di ricerca, svolt…

L'estrazione automatica dei ruoli semantici corradicali. The importance of being Cognate

2022

This study will introduce a tool – termed NLPYTALY – for the automatictreatment of naturally-occurring texts in Italian. The tool distinguishesconstructs with an ordinary verb from those with a support verb. Mean-ing is rendered by using cognate (i.e. etymologically related) semantic roles (CSR), which differ from other roles because they are expressed withthe content morpheme of the predicate licensing arguments. CSRs offer anumber of advantages: they can be semi-automatically derived and use the who-does-what model. Besides, they facilitate the detection of anaphoric chains and produce a foreground/background opposition of the namedentities. Finally, they permit the construction of a chro…

Creating a semantically-enhanced cloud services environment through ontology evolution

2014

Currently, the availability of Web resources has grown enormously to the point that whatever a user needs at a given moment can potentially be found on the Internet. These resources are not limited to data items anymore, functionality delivered through some sort of service architectural model is also offered on the Internet. In the last few years, cloud computing has emerged as one of the most popular computing models to provide services over the Internet. However, as the number of available cloud services increases, the problem of service discovery and selection arises. Experience indicates that semantic technologies can provide the basis for enhanced and more precise search processes. In …

Semantic technologies for industry: From knowledge modeling and integration to intelligent applications

2013

Artificial Intelligence technologies are growingly used within several software systems ranging from Web services to mobile applications. It is by no doubt true that the more AI algorithms and methods are used the more they tend to depart from a pure "AI" spirit and end to refer to the sphere of standard software. In a sense, AI seems strongly connected with ideas, methods and tools that are not (yet) used by the general public. On the contrary, a more realistic view of it would be a rich and pervading set of successful paradigms and approaches. Industry is currently perceiving semantic technologies as a key contribution of AI to innovation. In this paper a survey of current industrial expe…