Computational Syntax

News

20 April: swapped lectures 7 and 8; added a link to 2017 exam

10 April: github repository for the course: https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/comp-syntax-gu

The 2018 course starts with a lecture on 27 March at 10:15 in L308 (Lennart Torstenssonsgatan 8)

Basic information

Course responsible: Aarne Ranta http://www.cse.chalmers.se/~aarne/

Teaching assistant: Herbert Lange http://www.gu.se/omuniversitetet/personal/?userId=xlangh&departmentId=107824

GF web page: http://www.grammaticalframework.org/

GF book slides: http://www.grammaticalframework.org/gf-book/gf-book-slides.pdf

Schema in TimeEdit: https://se.timeedit.net/web/gu/db1/schema/ri1X50gQ3560YvQQ96Z6570Y0Zy2007511Y59Q720.html

Official course plan: http://kursplaner.gu.se/pdf/kurs/en/LT2204

Official GUL page: https://gul.gu.se/courseId/83533/content.do?id=39752548

Programme

• Lecture 1: introduction to the methods and applications of computational syntax: http://www.grammaticalframework.org/~aarne/gf-google-2016.pdf (Google tech talk video in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1LFbDQhbso ) with some hands-on coding in the GF cloud http://cloud.grammaticalframework.org/gfse/ (grammar MLT2018)
• Lecture 2: Introducing the GF shell, which can be downloaded from http://www.grammaticalframework.org/download/index.html Hands-on coding with focus on morphology: https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/comp-syntax-gu/tree/master/examples Summary of GF and how it generalizes context-free grammars
• Lecture 3: GF for Python programmers (Herbert) https://daherb.github.io/GF-for-Python-programmers/
• Lecture 4: Fundamentals of syntax: GF book (or book slides) Chapter 9
• Lecture 5: Implementing a mini resource grammar https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/comp-syntax-gu/tree/master/labs/lab1
• Lecture 6: The GF Resource Grammar Library: http://www.grammaticalframework.org/lib/doc/synopsis.html
• Lecture 7: Abstract Syntax and Universal Dependencies: http://www.grammaticalframework.org/~aarne/ud-gf-malta-2017.pdf
• Lecture 8: Application grammar programming: best practices and tutorial http://www.molto-project.eu/sites/default/files/MOLTO_D2.3.pdf, Shops example code https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/comp-syntax-gu/tree/master/examples/shops
• Lecture 9: Recap with last year's exam ; getting started with projects

Each lecture is around 2 hours. In addition, there are supervised tutorials (in TimeEdit, the ones in Lab4 are tutorials)

To get accepted, one has to pass the exam and do two assignments. The exam is on 28 May at 9:00-13 at Viktoriagatan 30. It will have the same format as previous exams:

• 2017: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Hj6q8rJIocohG5CYD0o5n7jPL7bnbe5hcKmIi21S1E/edit?usp=sharing
• 2016: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rZPazAfvECGmJMAwZtywqJyFqOvxveCnO2PELq5Es7Q/edit?usp=sharing

Assignment

The assignment comes in two parts. The first should be finished by 15 May, the second by 15 June.

1. A Mini resource grammar for a language of your choice, containing all concrete syntax modules needed for

• https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/comp-syntax-gu/tree/master/labs/lab1

2. Either an Extended Mini Resource:

• https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/comp-syntax-gu/tree/master/labs/lab2extmini

or an application grammar, to be specified and appear here:

• https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/comp-syntax-gu/tree/master/labs/lab2app

The purpose of Assignment 1 is to give everyone hands-on experience about the core syntax of a language of your choice. You are free to pick any language that you want. This assignment requires 1-2 weeks of full time work.

In Assignment 2, you can continue on the linguistics of the language you chose in Assignment 1, by making the Extended Mini Resource. The new structures can be more demanding than in Assignment 1. This alternative is recommended for those interested in linguistics, and particularly for those who want to continue with a full resource grammar of some new language (which is a project of the size of a Masters thesis.

The alternative path, application grammar, is a more practical task, which you may encounter if you work in a language technology company. There you use the standard Resource Grammar Library without the need to go to the linguistic details of your target language. However, you will have to think more about semantics and idiomatic ways of expression.