Publication 1305

The second version of the Multistore Sentence Analysis System, implemented on an IBM 360/65, uses a correlational grammar to parse English sentences and displays the parsings as hierarchical syntactic structures comparable to tree diagrams. Since correlational syntax comprises much that is usually considered semantic information, the system demonstrates ways and means of resolving certain types of ambiguity that are frequent obstacles to univocal sentence analysis. Particular emphasis is given to the “significant address” method of programming which was developed to speed up the procedure (processing times, at present, are 0.5–1.5 seconds for sentences up to 16 words). By structuring an area of the central core in such a way that the individual location of bytes becomes significant, the shifting of information is avoided; the use of binary masks further simplifies the many operations of comparison required by the procedure. Samples of print-out illustrate some salient features of the system.

Key words: Computational Linguistics, Computer Programs, English, Form Classes (Languages), Kernel Sentences, Language Patterns, Machine Translation, Phrase Structure, Programing, Semantics, Sentence Structure, Structural Analysis, Structural Grammar, Syntax