SAL Coding Tips

Coding tips for Nouns, for Adjectives, for Adverbs

Tips on Coding Nouns in TermBuilder

The easiest and most accurate method for encoding new nouns and noun phrases is presented below.

This instruction presupposes that you have used TermBuilder’s AutoCode function to encode a new entry and that you have not yet actually updated the dictionary. You should be looking in TermBuilder’s New Entry Window where your entry and the automatically assigned codes are displayed.

  1. In the left-hand frame of TermBuilder’s New Entry Window, scroll to Category (just below Part of Speech). (Category will contain the SAL superset value automatically assigned by Auto Code.)

  2. Click on the value shown in the row labeled Category. A small box icon will display to the right.

  3. Click on the box icon. This will take you to the SAL Wizard.

  4. In the SAL Wizard, you are presented with several options. The easiest and most accurate way to code your new entry is to use the “prompts” option.

  5. Click on the “prompts” option. If TermBuilder has some knowledge about your word, it will display all the meanings it knows to be associated with your entry (or with the head word of your entry if it is a compound noun phrase). (TermBuilder has a large store of information about basic nouns and their various meanings)

  6. Click on the meaning that most applies.

  7. If none of the meanings seem to apply, click on the “default” option. “Default” gives you a wide range of possible codes for you to choose from.

  8. You must also click on the “default” option to code the entry in cases where the “prompts” option does not have a + sign before it, meaning that TermBuilder has no information about your entry. In such cases, AutoCode assignments cannot be relied upon and you should recode the entry using the “default” option, or the “SAL” option if available and appropriate

  9. If you are tutored in SAL coding, and the “SAL” option is available on your system, you may click on “SAL”. This option gives you the full SAL taxonomy to work with and affords the most accurate codes possible. Working with SAL, however, presupposes prior tutoring.

Overview of Noun Coding Methods

TERMBUILDER OPTION

DIFFICULTY

ACCURACY

COMMENT

AutoCode

easiest

lowest

least recommended; should not be used if term is unknown to TermBuilder

Prompts

easy

good

the recommended method if TermBuilder has some prior knowledge of your head word

Default

harder

good

the recommended method if your entry is completely unknown to TermBuilder’s knowledge base

SAL Taxonomy

hardest

highest

the superior method, reserved for tutored users and developers

Guideline to SAL Noun Coding

Nouns with Multiple Meanings

Many nouns fall into more than one SAL category. For example, passage can be both a conduit under Concrete, and a path under Place. It can also be a piece of writing or musical composition under Information.

Selection among the multiple meanings of a given noun can often be effected by the use of Subject Matter Codes (SMC) when entering the term in TermBuilder.

In some cases, however, Subject Matter Codes are not helpful. In such cases, the user must make an arbitrary choice among SAL codes at the time the word is entered. (Later development plans include giving the system the ability to resolve among the multiple meanings of a common noun on the basis of extra-sentential context. This capability does not presently exist in the Logos System.)

When making coding decisions, users should observe the coding priorities listed below.

Noun Coding Priorities

There is a critical set of priorities governing coding choices for nouns that should be observed, if translation degradation is to be avoided. The following represents the coding hierarchy in order of importance:

  • Verb-biased Nouns (See verbal abstracts set under Abstract Superset). Nouns coded for verb bias tell the system to expect a verb complement.

    Verb-biased codes are critical for parsing. For example:

    1. ways of cooking lentils

    2. types of cooking utensils.

    The verbal abstracts code given to ways in (1) biases the parser to expect a verb and therefore allows the parser to resolve cooking correctly to a verb. In (2) cooking is an adjective.

  • Nouns taking prepositional complementation. (See strong verbals under Abstract Superset.) For example:

    attitude towards interest in anxiety about phone connection to attention to

    Prep governance codes are critical for parsing decisions regarding prepositional attachement.

  • Mass Nouns. Unlike count nouns, mass nouns can occur in the singular without an article or quantifier; e.g., Gold is expensive.

    Mass codes are critical to parsing. For example:

    1. Test gold for …

    2. … test tube for… .

    In (1), gold as a Mass noun helps the parser to see test as a verb. (Unlike count nouns, singular mass nouns without an article can be the object of a verb.) In (2), test must be a noun because tube is a singular count noun.

    Mass-like codes occur in various places in the SAL noun taxonomy. These include:

    • Mass Superset, which is mass by definition

    • trees/wood subset (e.g. oak) under Concrete Superset

    • edibles/color subset (e.g. orange) under Concrete Superset

    • mammals/food/fur subset (e.g. fox) under Animate Superset

    • fowl/food subset (e.g. duck) under Animate Superset

    • remote mass subset

  • Nouns denoting agents. Agentive type nouns occur in various places in the SAL noun taxonomy. These include:

    • Animate Superset, which is agentive by definition

    • agentive set under Concrete Superset

    • functional location (agentive) subset under Place Superset

    • geographical entities (agentive) subset under Place Superset

    • remote agentive subset (an optional subset code under any set or superset)

    See SAL Noun Code Hierarchy.

Tips for Coding Descriptive Adjectives

Note that participial adjectives (-ed, -ing, and -able forms) derive their codes from their verb form automatically. Users and developers cannot code participial adjectives.

Adjective Coding Procedure

Working from Right to Left, choose the first Row that fits your adjective and click on the associated Table.

Attributive

Predicate

Convert. to Adverb*

TO-V Comp.

WH-Clause Comp.

Table

ADJ N

NP is ADJ

ADJ N = V ADV

NP is ADJ TO V

NP is ADJ THAT

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Table A

Y

Y

Y

Y

Table B

Y

Y

Y

Table C

Y

Y

Table D

Y

Table D

* Adjective Convertible to Adverb: E.g., slow movement = move slowly

Table A - Preclausal Adjectives

It is ADJ that

It is ADJ to v

NP is ADJ to v

NP is ADJ that

ADJ type

Y

Y

urgent subset

Y

clear subset

Y

Y

Y

limited

certain subset

Y

Y

Y

good subset

Y

Y

happy subset

Y

aware subset

* Select the ADJ Type that most closely fits

RuleWriters’ Note: Preclausal codes are to be specified at the superset or subset level only

Table B - Preverbal Adjectives

It is ADJ to V

NP is ADJ to V

NP is ADJ V’ing

It is ADJ to V’ing

NP is ADJ to V’ing

NP is ADJ {in,with,of,etc.} V’ing

ADJ modifies SUBJ NP

ADJ Type

Y

valid subset

Y

akin subset

Y

Y

easy subset

Y

Y

Y

limited

Y

wise subset

Y

limited

Y

eager subset

Y

Y

limited

Y

first subset

limited

limited

Y

Y

busy subset

* Select the ADJ Type that most closely fits

RuleWriters’ Note: Preverbal codes should be specified at the superset or subset level only

Table C - Adverbial Adjectives

Description

Examples

SAL Adjective Type

Adjectives governing prepositions

adjacent (to), compilant (with), famous (for)

prep governance subset

Adjectives of state or manner

clean, joyful, sly, personable

state/manner subset

Adjectives of time or order

recent, random, daily, final

time/order subset

Adjectives of place

above, backward, overseas, regional

locative subset

Adjectives ofquantity or measure

minimal, slight, countless, lengthy

quantity/measure subset

Adjectives of degree or intensity

real, utter, mere, entire

degree subset

* Select the ADJ Type that most closely fits

Table D - Non-Adverbial Adjectives

Description

Examples

SAL Adjective Type

Can be predicate adjective

all purpose

predicate adjective subset

Cannot be predicate adjective

Atlantic, bridal, naval

non-predicate adjective subset

Tips on Coding Adverbs

Intensifier Adverb Decision Table

Placement

Pre-Adv

Pre-Nom

Pre-Pre-Adv

Pre-Adj

Post-Nom

Examples:

extremely, tolerably, too, *more, most

especially, just, only, even, strictly

*much, really, so, somewhat

*all, full, well, completely

*enough, apiece

Before Adv

Y

Y

Before Noun

*

Y

*

*

*

Before Quantifier

Y

Before Pre-Adv

Y

Before Adj

Y

Y

Y

Post-Noun

Y

Illustrations:

Before Adv

extremely well said

much more useful

Before Noun

just cheese

Before Quantifier

just one day

Before Pre-Adv

really too hot

Before Adj

extremely adept

just ready

well-received

Post-Noun

food enough

* Signifies that the morpheme before a noun becomes a determiner.