Mutsuko Tomokiyo, Tsuyoshi Morimoto
Communicative Functions of Spoken
Japanese and Its Meaning Interpretation
on MT System
Abstract:This report aims to describe communicative functions of sentence final elements and its meaning interpretation as well as preliminary studies in linguistic phenomena of spoken Japanese.
Being wholesome of MT system would base on understanding of natural language, formula aptitude, processing speed which hardly stand up at the same time. Language understanding involves morphological, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic understanding of source/target languages.
When MT of spoken-language between hetero-language, e.g. Japanese-English MT is aimed, there are cases where syntax of source language needn't necessarily to be transferred into target language: a Japanese argument pattern does not necessarily correspond to a English argument pattern and also used expression styles in source language grammatically are not always the same with target language one. Identication of communicative functions reenacts the scene of the conversation; who, to whom, what, in which intention an event is uttered. Disambiguation of meanings in target language, analysis of interpersonal feelings or the difference of expression styles due to different thinking way, pivot on semantic understanding apart from the syntax, although 'semantics without syntax' is impossible. Therefore, studies of communicative functions are indispensable for MT task.
In Japanese, sentence-final elements are the most representative of spoken Japanese in the point of view of functional notions of communication. This report focuses on meaning interpretation of sentence-final elements of simple sentence, labeling with functional notions in conversations.
An unification formalism parser and HPSG grammar are used for analyzing the telephone dialogue.