Abstract
Three classes of the so-called natural languages for communication with data bases are defined:English-like, pseudo-English, andsimple-English. It is argued that English-like and pseudo-English languages are normally more difficult to learn and use than artificial programming languages with no overt claim to English likeness. Simple-English is presented as a family of languages in which many restrictions (which hamper learning) are removed through interaction with, and drawing inferences from, the data base and the underlying system. It is concluded, however, that English likeness and ease of learning may be contradictory notions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Y. Bar-HillelLanguage and Information (Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass., 1964).
D. G. Bobrow and B. Raphael, “New programming languages for artificial intelligence research,”ACM Comput. Rev. 6 (3):153–174 (September 1974).
Center for Applied Linguistics,Research Trends in Computational Linguistics (Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C., 1972).
N. Chomsky,Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1965).
Feature Analysis of Generalized Data Base Management Systems, CODASYL Systems Committee, ACM, New York (May 1971).
P. Culicover, J. Kimball, D. Lewis, D. Loveman, and J. Moyne, “An Automated Recognition Grammar for English,” Technical Report FSC 69-5007, IBM, Cambridge, Mass. (1969).
C. Hewitt, “PLANNER, A Project MAC report,” MAC-M-386, MIT, Cambridge, Mass. (October 1968); revised August 1970.
D. E. Knuth, “Structured programming with go to statements,”ACM Comput. Surv. 6(4):261–301 (December 1974).
F. W. Lancaster and E. G. Fayen,Information Retrieval On-Line (Melville, Los Angeles, 1973).
D. B. Loveman, J. A. Moyne, and R. G. Tobey, “Cue: A Processor System for Restricted Natural English,”Proceedings of the Symposium on Information Storage and Retrieval University of Maryland (1971), pp. 47–59.
C. A. Montgomery, “Linguistics and information science,”J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. (May–June 1972), pp. 195–219.
J. A. Moyne, “A Simulated Computer for Natural Language Processing,” Technical Report TR 00.1463, IBM (1966).
J. A. Moyne, “Introduction to an Operational RELADES,” Technical Report TR 00.1442, IBM (1966).
J. A. Moyne, “Proto-RELADES: A Restrictive Natural Language System,” Technical Report BPC 3, IBM, Cambridge, Mass. (1967).
J. A. Moyne, “An introduction to transformational grammars,”Int. J. Comput. Math. 2:169–181 (1968).
J. A. Moyne, “Informational retrieval and natural language,”Proc. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. 6:259–263 (1969).
J. A. Moyne, “Some Grammars and Recognizers for Formal and Natural Languages,” inAdvances in Information Systems Science, Julius T. Tou, Ed. (Plenum, New York, 1974).
M. Pacak and A. W. Pratt, “The Function of Semantics in Automated Language Processing,Proceedings of the Symposium on Information Storage and Retrieval, University of Maryland (1971), pp. 5–18.
R. Rustin, Ed.,Natural Language Processing (Algorithmics Press, New York, 1973).
G. Salton,Automatic Information Organization and Retrieval (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968).
J. E. Sammet,Programming Languages: History and Fundamentals (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1969).
S. Y. Sedelow and W. A. Sedelow,Language Research and the Computer (The University of Kansas, Lawrence, 1972).
R. M. Schwarcz, J. F. Burger, and R. F. Simmons, “A deductive question-answering for natural language inference,”Commun. ACM,13 (3):167–183 (March 1970).
“SIGPLAN, Proceedings of a symposium on very high level languages,”SIGPLAN Notices,ACM:9(4) (April 1974).
G. J. Sussman, and D. V. McDermott, “From conniver to planner, a genetic approach,”Proc. FJCC (1972).
D. E. Walker, “Automated Language Processing,” inAnnual Review of Information Science and Technology, Vol. 8, Carios A. Cuadra, Ed. (American Society for Information Science, Washington, D.C., 1973).
T. Winograd,Understanding Natural Languages (Academic Press, New York, 1972).
W. A. Woods, “Semantics for a Question-Answering System,” Report No. NSF 19 to National Science Foundation, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. (1967).
W. A. Woods, R. M. Kaplan, and B. Nash-Webber, “The Lunar Sciences Natural Language Information System: Final Report,” BBN Report No. 2378, Bolt Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Mass. (1972).
V. Yngve,COMIT, 2nd ed. (MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moyne, J.A. Simple-english for data base communication. International Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 6, 327–343 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998326
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998326