GSLT, September 15th 2004 1

French prepositional

compounds

Cecilia HemmingDepartment of Languages, University College of Skövde

Swedish National Graduate School of Language Technology

GSLT, September 15th 2004 2

Outline Introduction Intuition – ideas Method Language specific term patterns Language independent concepts Problems Further work

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Introduction Neologisms in technical domains

New technology and products – new terminology Term = linguistic sign = signifiant et signifié (Saussure) Term production patterns

ISO 1087 Vocabulary of Terminology Term: Designation of a defined concept in a special language

by a linguistic expression. Concept: A unit of thought constituted through abstraction on

the basis of properties common to a set of objects.

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Production Patterns Language specific production patterns

morphosyntax for French terms Noun Adj Noun Noun Noun Prep Noun Noun Prep Det Noun Noun à Verb(inf) Verb-Noun

...

Swedish noun+noun -> French noun prep noun/verb Swedish noun2(compl)+noun1(head) -> French noun1 prep noun2

oljepump # pompe à huile (oil pump) bränsleledning # conduite de carburant (fuel pipe)

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Production Patterns Semantics of the terms

concepts plåt # tôle (plate) [material] ventil # robinet (valve) [part] …

relationships plåtskiva # disque de tôle (plate disc) [made-of] bromsventil # robinet de frein (brake valve) [part-of] …

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Intuition – Idea 1In MT and MAHT

Knowledge reuse in: Dictionnaires Terminology Databases Translation Memories

Lacking information of a certain term?

syntactic and semantic analyses of equivalent terms in different languages

plausible translation suggestions (in accordance with the TL production patterns)

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Intuition – Idea 2 (Wüster) Another way of defining Concept (independent of term)

a unit of different characteristics common to a certain number of people Structure knowledge in special domains

by pointing to differences and similarities between concepts connected to the terms within that domain

[parts of brake system]bromspedal # pédale de frein [operation device]bromsrör # tuyau de frein [leading brake fluid]

Disagreement: language independent concept grouping in general language (all concepts not present in all L)

Concepts in technical designation: truly language independent

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Limitations Limitation 1:

To begin with: terms denoting concrete objects Limitation 2:

French patterns: noun + preposition + noun*

noun + preposition + verb

with à and de

*In patterns, treat complex complements as a unit

bakhjulsbroms # frein de roue arrière (rear wheel brake)

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Method Extraction of term patterns

Swedish-French parallel text corpus ”Scania95”

(manuals)

3500 terms with a noun + preposition + noun/verb-pattern

Semantic classification (concepts / relations) both Swedish and French terms material, part, container… / made-of, part-of, contains…

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Concepts Compound nominal semantics

HEAD concept + COMPLEMENT conceptbränsletank # réservoir à carburant (fuel tank)

[liquid] [container]

Semantic relation Relation between head and complement

HEAD[container] contains COMPL[liquid]réservoir à carburant

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Method Compare patterns of the two languages

morphosyntax: noun2+noun1 -> noun1 à noun2

compl head head compl

semantics: (complement expresses) Swe[location of HEAD] -> Fre[location of HEAD] …?? Swe[form of HEAD] -> Fre[form of HEAD] …??

bakfjäderbult # etoquiau de ressort arrière (rear spring bolt)

kronmutter # écrou à créneaux (turret nut)

bil-/säkerhets-bälte # ceinture de sécurité (safety belt)

Find regularities and differences in patterns

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Method Tag terms semantically semiautomatically/for hand

concepts and relations between head and complement complement expresses:

Part(s) for which HEAD is intended: batterilåda # coffre à batteries (battery box) kolvringstång # pince à segments (piston ring pliers)

Form of HEAD: bladfjäder # ressort à lame (plate spring) haknyckel # clé à ergot (hook spanner)

…

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Method 2 ML-technics

Learn transfer rules from positive examples (??) Swe compl(Material)head(Item)[made-of] ->

Fre head(Item)-de-compl(Material)[made-of] plåtremsa # bande de tôle (strip plate)

Swe compl(Form)head(Item)[feature] ->Fre head(Item)-à-compl(Form)[feature]

flänsmutter # écrou à embase (flanged nut)

teadious tagging – writing rules directly instead??

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Semantics (Riegel, Pellat & Rioul) DE

[origin], [material], [cause], [container], [Part of], [constitution]

A [destination], [characteristic], [localization]

Brøndal, Cervoni, Järborg, Spang-Hansen…

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Conceptgroups noun de noun (1500 in the

Scania corpus) De (1500 terms of 3500 n-prep-n in the Scania corpus)

1. Substance, liquid, gas, material for which HEAD is intended (COMPL[content] HEAD [exteriority]) alkoholinjektor # injecteur d'alcool, avgasledning # tuyau d'échappement (exhaust pipe) bränslekammare # chambre de combustible (fuel chamber)

2. Substance, matter, materal of HEAD (COMPL[material] HEAD[noun] aluminiumlegering # alliage d'aluminium (Al alligation)

3. Complements for which HEAD is a unit (COMPL[constitution] HEAD[unit]) brickfjäderpaket # pile de rondelles élastiques (coaster board packet)

4. Object for which HEAD is intended 5. Location for which HEAD is intended (COMPL[location] HEAD[noun])

bakhjulsnav # moyeu de roue arrière (rear hub)6. The function of HEAD (COMPL[function] HEAD[noun])

anslutningskabel # câble de connexion (connection cable)7. Activity for which HEAD is intended (COMPL[activity] HEAD[ channel for]

avtappningskran # robinet de vidange (drain cock) avlastningsskruv # vis de desserrage (unloading screw)

8. The form or construction of HEAD bladmått # jauge d'épaisseur (thickness gauge)

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Conceptgroups noun à noun/verb (200 in the Scania corpus) A (200 terms of 3500 n-prep-n in the corpus)

1. Substance, liquid, material for which HEAD is intended [HEAD container] alkoholbehållare # réservoir à alcool

2. Object(s)/part(s) for which HEAD is intended [HEAD for object] kolvringstång # pince à segments (p r pliers)

3. Purpose of HEAD [HEAD purpose] glödstift # bougie à incandescence (heater plug) kapskiva # meule à tronçonner (slitting wheel) plomberingstång # pince à plomber (lead sealing pliers)

4. HEAD’s range of application [HEAD application] brandsläckare # extincteur à incendie (fire-extinguisher)

5. Form or construction of HEAD [HEAD construction] flatstiftkontakt # connecteur à languettes (flat pin connector) tolvkantshylsa # douille à 12 pans (..socket)

6. How HEAD functions [HEAD functioning] sugmotor # moteur à aspiration naturelle (aspirating engine) hamrande mutterdragare # boulonneuse à chocs (...nut runner)

7. By which mean HEAD is controlled [HEAD controlled by] handgas # accélérateur à main (hand accelerator)

8. How HEAD is controlled [HEAD controll manner] slagverktyg # outil à frapper (striking tool)

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Interesting Problems How to choose preposition:

avgasrör # tuyau d'échappement

bränslerör # tube à carburant (exhaust-/fuel pipe)

bränslekammare # chambre de combustible bränsletank # réservoir à carburant(fuel- chamber/tank)

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Suggestions 1

Kaffekopp # tasse à café[container (for coffee)]

Kaffekopp # tasse de café[channel (conveys coffee)]

alkoholbehållare # réservoir à alcool [container] alkoholinjektor # injecteur d'alcool [channel]

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Choose preposition avgasrör # tuyauterie d'échappement avgasrör # conduite d'échappement avgasrör # tubulure d'échappementbränslerör # tuyau d’alimentation(exhaust-/fuel pipe)

bränslerör # tube à carburantbränslekran # robinet de carburant(fuel cock)

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Suggestions 2 bränslerör # tuyau d’alimentation [exteriority] bränslerör # tube à carburant [destination]

tuyau/tuyauterie/conduite/tubulure (HEAD[exteriority])échappement/alimentation (deverbal noun COMPL[purpose])

tube [destination]carburant (substance, liquid, material [content])

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More Problems, different concepts How HEAD functions [HEAD functioning]

slagverktyg (striking tool)

slag------verktyg

Swe compl(Functioning)head(Item) Fre head(Y)-à-functioningVerb(X)

outil------------ à ---------- frapper

slagverktyg # outil à frapper (outil à frapper)

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different concepts skjutmått (sliding caliper)

skjut------mått

Swe functioning(X)head(Y) Fre head(Y)-à-functioningVerb(X)

pied------------ à ---------- pousser

skjutmått # pied à pousser/faire glisser?? (pied à coulisse!!) gliding

device

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Further work Extracting a wild web corpus from different

technical domains

(Oz, Perl scripts and E. Dura’s Lexware)

Compare the results from the Scania corpus

Implement translation suggestion code

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I would appreciate comments and suggestions

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Thank You for listening!