database search example

Sarah Hawkins (sh110@cam.ac.uk)
Thu, 5 Feb 1998 10:15:11 +0000 (GMT)

Here are examples of the sorts of things Cambridge might want to do: the
details are whacky in that there may be no meaningful word sequences that
look like that, but the principles are ok, which I think is all that Mark
and Alex want right now, right? For simplicity here, they all look for
schwas, but the elements in each of the three positions ("find all",
"preceded by", and "followed by") should be considered permutable, and
also extendable in that ideally we'd want the option of looking over as
much as 3 preceding and three following syllables (though normally it
would be only one or two).

find all schwas preceded by a [stressed syllable with a high vowel and
coda of (only) labial obstruent consonant] and followed by /h@/.

find all schwas preceded by a [stressed syllable with a high vowel and
coda that includes a labial obstruent consonant] and followed by /h@/.

find all schwas preceded by a [stressed syllable with a high vowel and
coda with (only) labial obstruent] and followed by [/h@/ plus a stressed
syllable with /s/ onset and a high front vowel].

find all schwas preceded by [a heavy syllable including a tongue-tip nasal
and/or stop consonant, then the morpheme -ly] and followed by a labial
consonantal onset to an unstressed light syllable.

We might also want to do some things with grammar, (e.g. we would
sometimes need to know whether we have a function word or a content word)
but as I understand it, York will be supplying those things and they will
be available at all levels, so we can use their categories.

Hope this is helpful. Suggestions re retrieving snafu re 13 Feb meeting
to follow soon.

Sarah

______________________________________________________________________

Dr. Sarah Hawkins Email: sh110@cam.ac.uk
Dept. of Linguistics Phone: +44 1223 33 50 52
University of Cambridge Fax: +44 1223 33 50 53
Sidgwick Avenue or +44 1223 33 50 62
Cambridge CB3 9DA
United Kingdom