Ontological Semantics (Language, Speech, and Communication) [Hardcover]

Sergei Nirenburg (Author), Victor Raskin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Language, Speech, and Communication | Publication Date: August 13, 2004

In Ontological Semantics, Sergei Nirenburg and Victor Raskin introduce a comprehensive approach to the treatment of text meaning by computer. Arguing that being able to use meaning is crucial to the success of natural language processing (NLP) applications, they depart from the ad hoc approach to meaning taken by much of the NLP community and propose theory-based semantic methods. Ontological semantics, an integrated complex of theories, methodologies, descriptions, and implementations, attempts to systematize ideas about both semantic description as representation and manipulation of meaning by computer programs. It is built on already coordinated "microtheories" covering such diverse areas as specific language phenomena, processing heuristics, and implementation system architecture rather than on isolated components requiring future integration. Ontological semantics is constantly evolving, driven by the need to make meaning manipulation tasks such as text analysis and text generation work. Nirenburg and Raskin have therefore developed a set of heterogeneous methods suited to a particular task and coordinated at the level of knowledge acquisition and runtime system architecture implementations, a methodology that also allows for a variable level of automation in all its processes.Nirenburg and Raskin first discuss ontological semantics in relation to other fields, including cognitive science and the AI paradigm, the philosophy of science, linguistic semantics and the philosophy of language, computational lexical semantics, and studies in formal ontology. They then describe the content of ontological semantics, discussing text-meaning representation, static knowledge sources (including the ontology, the fact repository, and the lexicon), the processes involved in text analysis, and the acquisition of static knowledge.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Howard Trachtman, M.D., is the Director of Pediatric Nephrology at Schneider Children's Hospital of the North Shore--LIJ Health System and Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is an Associate Program Director of the General Clinical Research Center at the North Shore--LIJ ResearchInstitute, an Associate Editor (Book Reviews) of Pediatric Nephrology, and a recipient of NIH-funding in support of clinical research inhemolytic uremic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Victor Raskin is Professor of English and Linguistics at Purdue University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (August 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262140861
• ISBN-13: 978-0262140867
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,998,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OntoSem is the Future, October 11, 2005

By 

Courtney Falk "2key_3des" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ontological Semantics (Language, Speech, and Communication) (Hardcover)

The model of semantics as set forth by Raksin and Nirenburg provides the best results yet seen. Ontological semantics avoids the pitfalls and computational contradictions of statistical NLP approaches. The authors admit that this is not a perfect solution but point the way towards future work.