Abstract
Grammatical Framework (GF) is a multilingual parsing and generation framework. In this paper, we describe the development of the Swahili Resource Grammar, a first in extending GF’s coverage with a Bantu language. The paper details the linguistic detail and considerations that have to be addressed whilst defining the grammars. The paper also describes an end-user application that uses the developed grammars to achieve multilinguality.
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Notes
- 1.
My first encounter with GF was in the WebALT project where I was part of Lauri’s team that was responsible for developing multilingual grammars for the automatic generation of mathematical content in six European languages. The WebALT project used GF as the multilingual generation framework.
- 2.
See http://www.grammaticalframework.org for the current status of the GF resource grammar library.
- 3.
X is a three-letter suffix that identifies a language e.g. ParadigmsSwa and ParadigmsEng refer to the Paradigms definitions for Swahili and English respectively.
- 4.
Str is a built-in type in GF that represents a list of tokens.
- 5.
Morpho contains language-specific resource grammar constructs that define exactly how various morphological paradigms are realized. Morpho uses the parameters defined in Res to realize the categories defined in Cat.
- 6.
It may be possible to define the postdeterminer in the language-specific module ExtraSwa, and the implications of doing this are being investigated.
- 7.
Postdeterminers can be located either before or after the adjective. Mid is used for the former and Post for the latter.
- 8.
This application is specific to Nokia phones which constitute a large majority of the handsets in use.
- 9.
Lauri and I held very interesting discussions on Bantu tense and aspect, particularly on Gĩkűyű (my mother tongue), as he worked on his book. It is at this time that I developed more interest in developing the Swahili GF grammars and eventually a Bantu module.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the support and contribution of Aarne Ranta, Juliet Mutahi and Kimani Njogu. Particularly worthy of mention is the contribution of Lauri to this work—first, for introducing me to the Grammatical Framework from where my interest in GF started, and secondly, for his interest in tense and aspect of Bantu languages—discussionsFootnote 9 which have contributed to the shape and form of the Swahili RGs, and will be particularly important as we extend the RGs to cover the Swahili verb (and verb phrase) in all its complexity.
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Ng’ang’a, W. (2012). Building Swahili Resource Grammars for the Grammatical Framework. In: Santos, D., Lindén, K., Ng’ang’a, W. (eds) Shall We Play the Festschrift Game?. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30773-7_13
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