EnGen - Generative Systems

LANGUAGE - An example of a Generative System When a speaker constructs a sentence, say ‘Jack rode a bicycle?’, they construct a grammatical structure (a relationship between word classes) and populate it with words (specific instances of these classes) from their vocabulary to tailor the sentence form to a specific context (environment) and purpose. Grammar Specifies Instance subject actor or agent Jack verb action rode definite article individual the object acted upon bicycle While a speaker synthesises and transmits speech to convey meaning (information) a listener receives and analyses speech by converting the sound or text to words, then relating the words to their grammar classes, then reconstructs the sentence structure and so decodes the meaning of the sentence. The semantics (meaning) of a sentence is captured in the sentence structure while the syntax (spoken or writen form - the string of words) is used to communicate. TRANSLATION A multi-lingual listener could translate the idea (meaning) into another language by synthesising this meaning structure into a different language with a different grammar (e.g. word order) and different vocabulary. This is how computer programs analyse speech and how a ‘compiler’ program converts a computer program in a ‘high level language’ (more like human speech) into machine code (computer executable instructions).