Simulation-based language understanding

with Embodied Construction Grammar

Linguistic knowledge consists of constructions mapping elements of form and meaning. The analysis of an utterance draws on this constructional knowledge, along with general world knowledge (not shown here) and information about the current communicative context. The resulting semantic specification provides parameters for a dynamic simulation (or enactment) of the content of the utterance; the meaning of the utterance is taken to consist of the simulation and the inferences it produces. A schematic overview, described in more detail in [1]:

Papers and presentations

1. Benjamin K. Bergen and Nancy Chang. Embodied Construction Grammar in Simulation-Based Language Understanding. In press. J.-O. Ostman and M. Fried (eds.), Construction Grammar(s): Cognitive and Cross-Language Dimensions. Johns Benjamins. (updated 6/2003)

   A 30-page chapter providing foundational details for Embodied Construction Grammar. Although some formalism details have since changed, it remains the most complete general overview of our approach to language understanding (earlier tech report).

2. Nancy Chang, Srini Narayanan and Miriam R.L. Petruck. Putting Frames in Perspective. Presented at COLING 2002. (An earlier version, From Frames to Inference, was presented at Scanalu 2002.)

   Short paper showing how the ECG formalism can be used to bridge the gap between the semantically tagged corpora of the FrameNet project and the deeper inferential mechanisms developed by the NTL group.

3. Nancy Chang, Jerome Feldman, Robert Porzel and Keith Sanders. Scaling Cognitive Linguistics: Formalisms for Language Understanding. Presented at Scanalu 2002.

   An updated version of the ECG formalism, extended to include four primitives (schemas, constructions, maps and spaces) that together capture essential ideas from cognitive linguistics.

   
   
4. B. Bergen, N. Chang and S. Narayan. Simulated Action in an Embodied Construction Grammar. Proceedings of the 26th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. Chicago, IL. August 2004.
5. N. Chang, J. Feldman and S. Narayanan. Structured Connectionist Models of Language, Cognition and Action. Ninth Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop. Plymouth, UK. September 2004.

Related/preliminary work

• B. Bergen and N. Chang. Spatial Schematicity of Prepositions in Neural Grammar (pdf). Presented at the 1999 International Cognitive Linguistics Conference in Stockholm. A somewhat different form of the material was presented at the 2000 CSDL in Santa Barbara.
• N. Chang and I. Fischer. Understanding Idioms (Word document). Presented at KONVENS 2000 / SPRACHKOMMUNIKATION in Ilmenau, Germany.
• B. Bergen and N. Chang. Semantic Agreement and Construal (abstract in rtf). Presented at the 2001 meeting of the Linguistic Society of America in Washington, D.C.
• N. Chang and R. Hunter. Reference resolution in child-directed speech: a deep semantic approach. Presented at the International workshop on Reference and Coherence in discourse; Formal, Functional and Cognitive approaches in Utrecht, The Netherlands, January 2001.