LINGUIST List 10.1489

Fri Oct 8 1999

FYI: Grammar Software,Syntax Student's Companion

Editor for this issue: James Yuells <jameslinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Ann Copestake, Open source grammar and grammar development software
2. Joseph Hilferty, Using the Syntax Student's Companion

The LKB system, a development environment for constraint-based grammar
frameworks, is now available for free download from
http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~aac/lkb.html The LinGO project's
computational grammar for English, which uses the HPSG framework, is
available from the same site. The LinGO grammar can be used for
parsing and generation with the LKB system. Other smaller grammars,
primarily intended for teaching purposes, are also downloadable. The
LKB system is distributed as Common Lisp source code and as a
standalone executable for Linux and Solaris. Detailed documentation
for the LKB system, including an introduction to typed feature
structure formalisms, is also available online, at
http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~aac/doc5-2.pdf Please see the
documentation and the LKB Website for further details.

Ann Copestake

Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI)
Stanford University

Not to long ago there was a posting announcing a freeware Java program
called the Syntax Student's Companion.

I'm sure that more than one person was put off by having to link this
program to a Java virtual machine (I certainly was--I know nothing
about Java or programming).

Anyway, installing the program is not really that difficult. Here are
some pointers:

(1) Get the following file:

 SSC041.zip

 It can be found at:

 http://wwwetu.utc.fr/~maxaurel/welcome.html

 Then, unzip the file in (e.g.) c:


(2) Get the latest Java Developer's Kit (JDK 1.2.2) and install it
 on your machine. The file name is:

 jdk1_2_2-win.exe

 and can be downloaded from various sites:

 http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/
 http://www.javasoft.com

 It's a big file (approx. 20 Mb), so it might be wise to run
 an FTP search for a reasonably close site. (BTW, don't use
 JDK 1.2.1--I did and got pretty poor results.)


(3) With Notepad, make a file called (e.g.) SYNTAX.BAT and insert
 the following commands:


 ECHO OFF
 REM This file is SYNTAX.BAT
 path C:\jdk1.2.2\bin;%path%
 set CLASSPATH=C:\SSC041\
 java -classpath %CLASSPATH%;SSC.jar SSCFrame


 Make sure to place this file in the same directory as the
 Student's Syntax Companion program. You can make a shortcut
 from SYNTAX.BAT if need be.


(4) Click on SYNTAX.BAT to use the program.


Hope this helps. If anyone knows of a better way to do it, please
let me know. Like I said, I know nothing about Java, so please
(pretty please) don't hold me responsible if I've said something
silly.

Joe Hilferty 
__________________________________________________________
Home page: http://lingua.fil.ub.es/~hilferty/homepage.html