A human-assisted computer generated LA-grammar for simple sentences in Southern Sotho

Abstract

A set of computer programs to generate Left Associative Grammars (LAGs) for natural languages is described. The generation proceeds from examples of correct sentences and needs human assistance to correctly categorise word surfaces. An example LAG for simple Southern Sotho sentences is shown. Hausser's LAGs are extended with variables and conditionals, making the grammar rules much more powerful while maintaining ease of use for computer parsing. This paper presents the results of the first experiment in a series leading up to a translators' aid for the translation of English documents from the Free State Provincial Government into Southern Sotho.