COMPUTATIONAL LEXICOGRAPHY AND LEXICOLOGY Computational Processing of Czech Derived Words

Abstract The system presented in this paper is concerned with the computational processing of the selected types of Czech word-formation. The developed programming tool (word-formation module) aims at analysing and synthesising Czech derived words. Such a system is of particular value for automatic processing of Czech language where derivational morphology plays an important role in regular word-formation due to which new words come continuously into being. The analytic function of this module is used in the process of recognition of unknown words. The word-formation module processes words that cannot be previewed in static sources of computer lexicons and are not identified in the process oflemmatisation. The generative (syntactic) function ofthis tool plays its role in several NLP applications and is used e.g. for enlarging the static part ofthe lexicon. One ofthe productive word-formation types diminutives was selected for the illustration ofthese functions. Derivation relations between the basic words (stored in the lexicon) and derived words serve for the formulation of derivation rules that form the basis for the definition of derivation patterns and word-formation module algorithms.