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A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.

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Main Author: Swarts, Johannes Jacobus
Other Authors: Gouws, R. H.
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2019
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access_status_str Open Access
author Swarts, Johannes Jacobus
author2 Gouws, R. H.
author_browse Gouws, R. H.
Swarts, Johannes Jacobus
author_facet Gouws, R. H.
Swarts, Johannes Jacobus
author_sort Swarts, Johannes Jacobus
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107037
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:19.493Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107037 A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences Swarts, Johannes Jacobus Gouws, R. H. Van Rooyen, G-J. Oosthuizen, Johan Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Afrikaans and Dutch. Afrikaans language -- Sentences Afrikaans language -- Grammar Computational linguistics Grammar, Comparative and general -- Sentences Sentence parsing UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2019. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates which grammatical framework is best suited to computationally represent and parse written Afrikaans sentences. This knowledge is necessary to build a large scale Afrikaans treebank – a resource which does not yet exist, but is a critical prerequisite for advanced endeavours in Afrikaans natural language processing. To gain this knowledge, we formally describe the building blocks of written Afrikaans from the perspectives of two major grammatical frameworks: constituency grammar and dependency grammar. Using these formal descriptions, we construct the first linguistically motivated treebank for Afrikaans, annotated with both constituency and dependency graphs. We perform k-fold cross-validation on multiple variations of this treebank with four state of the art sentence parsers, and fine-comb the results. Combining insights from the formal descriptions of written Afrikaans with the data obtained during parser evaluation, we conclude that dependency grammar outperforms constituency grammar at computationally representing the syntactic structure of written Afrikaans sentences under the conditions tested. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif ondersoek watter grammatikale raamwerk meer geskik is vir die rekenaarmatige voorstelling en ontleding van geskrewe Afrikaanse sinne. Hierdie kennis is nodig om ’n grootskaalse Afrikaanse boombank te bou – ’n hulpbron wat tans ontbreek, maar ’n kritiese voorvereiste is vir gevorderde Afrikaanse natuurlike taalverwerking. Ten einde hierdie kennis te verwerf, beskryf ons die boublokke van geskrewe Afrikaans formeel vanuit die perspektiewe van twee dominante grammatikale raamwerke: samestellingsgrammatiek (”constituency grammar”) en afhanklikheidsgrammatiek (“dependency grammar”). Hierdie formele beskrywings word ingespan om die eerste taalkundig gemotiveerde Afrikaanse boombank te bou wat annotasies vanuit beide grammatikale raamwerke bevat. Met verskeie variasies van hierdie boombank voer ons dan k-voudige kruisvalidering uit met vier toonaangewende sinsontleders en fynkam hul resultate. Aan die hand van hierdie resultate, sowel as die teoretiese insigte verkry tydens die formele beskrywings van geskrewe Afrikaans, lei ons af dat afhanklikheidsgrammatiek samestellingsgrammatiek oortref vir die rekenaarmatige voorstelling van die sintaktiese struktuur van geskrewe Afrikaanse sinne binne die getoetsde toestande. Doctoral 2019-10-04T09:18:42Z 2019-12-11T06:44:29Z 2019-10-04T09:18:42Z 2019-12-11T06:44:29Z 2019-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107037 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 223 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Afrikaans language -- Sentences
Afrikaans language -- Grammar
Computational linguistics
Grammar, Comparative and general -- Sentences
Sentence parsing
UCTD
Swarts, Johannes Jacobus
A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences
title A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences
title_full A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences
title_fullStr A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences
title_full_unstemmed A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences
title_short A grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written Afrikaans sentences
title_sort grammatical framework for the computational parsing of written afrikaans sentences
topic Afrikaans language -- Sentences
Afrikaans language -- Grammar
Computational linguistics
Grammar, Comparative and general -- Sentences
Sentence parsing
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107037
work_keys_str_mv AT swartsjohannesjacobus agrammaticalframeworkforthecomputationalparsingofwrittenafrikaanssentences
AT swartsjohannesjacobus grammaticalframeworkforthecomputationalparsingofwrittenafrikaanssentences