Construction grammar theories argue that the selection and realization of a verb's arguments is largely taken care of by constructions, as opposed to lexicalist theories which constrain the argument structure of a verb in the lexicon. So far, however, no operational definition has been given which shows how this ‘fusion’ of a verb’s arguments with the roles of a construction can be achieved. Th...

One of the key properties of (natural) languages is that they are hierarchical. Phrases combine into larger phrases eventually covering complete sentences. The semantics of each phrase combine to form the complex meaning of the whole. A key question in explaining the origins and evolution of language is therefore how such hierarchical structures may originate and spread in a population. This pa...

Aspect is undoubtedly the most capricious grammatical category of the Russian language. It has often been asserted as a mystery accessible only to native speakers, leaving all the others lost in its apparently infinite clutter. Recent work in cognitive linguistics has tried to bring order to the seeming chaos of the Russian aspectual system. But these approaches have not been operationalized so...

Natural languages are fluid. New conventions may arise and there is never absolute consensus in a population. How can human language users nevertheless have such a high rate of communicative success? And how do they deal with the incomplete sentences, false starts, errors and noise that is common in normal discourse? Fluidity, ungrammaticality and error are key problems for formal descriptions ...

A rapid and versatile method for cDNA library construction was developed. It is based on conventional cDNA library synthesis including all enzymatic steps usually required, but is performed on a solid support. The cDNA is immobilised via a biotin residue to streptavidin coupled magnetic beads, which allows rapid and easy to perform changes of buffers and enzymes. Therefore, it combines speed (l...

The integration of concurrent and object-oriented programming, although promising, presents problems that have not yet been fully explored. In this paper we attempt to identify issues in the design of concurrent object-oriented languages that must be addressed to achieve a satisfactory integration of concurrency in the object-oriented framework. We consider the approaches followed by object-ori...

The paper examines in how far Construction Grammar is a useful foundation by which artificial agents can self-organise communication systems that are grounded in the real world through a sensori-motor embodiment and use grammar to express certain aspects of meaning. It proposes a particular computational formalism, Fluid Construction Grammar, and mechanisms by which constructions can be progres...

In this paper, we propose a concrete operationalization which incorporates data from the FrameNet database into Fluid Construction Grammar, currently the only computational implementation of construction grammar that can achieve both production and parsing using the same set of constructions. As a proof of concept, we selected an annotated sentence from the FrameNet database and transcribed its...

Abstract This chapter introduces very briefly the framework and tools for lexical and grammatical processing that have been used in the evolutionary language game experiments reported in this book. This framework is called Fluid Construction Grammar (FCG) because it rests on a constructional approach to language and emphasizes flexible grammar application. Construction grammar organizes the kno...

Hurling a successful Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) recycling operation around the globe is a challenge today, predominantly because secondary materials markets are yet to be integrated. Reducing, Reusing and recycling of (C&DW) have been employed over the years, and various techniques have been investigated. However, the economic and environmental viability of its application seems l...