From: Michael Granger <ged@...>
Date: 2003-09-15T08:00:08+09:00
Subject: [ANN] Linguistics 0.02

Hi fellow Rubyists,

I'd like to announce the second release of the Linguistics module, a 
generic, language-neutral framework for extending Ruby objects with 
linguistic methods.

This release fixes some of the bugs that were discovered since the last 
version, and adds a few new features:

== Infinitives

New in version 0.02:

   "leaving".en.infinitive
   # => "leave"

   "left".en.infinitive
   # => "leave"

   "leaving".en.infinitive.suffix
   # => "ing"


== WordNet� Integration

Also new in version 0.02, if you have the Ruby-WordNet module 
installed, you can
look up WordNet synsets using the Linguistics interface:

   # Test to be sure the WordNet module loaded okay.
   Linguistics::EN.has_wordnet?
   # => true

   # Fetch the default synset for the word "balance"
   "balance".synset
   # => #<WordNet::Synset:0x40376844 balance (noun): "a state of 
equilibrium"
    (derivations: 3, antonyms: 1, hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 3)>

   # Fetch the synset for the first verb sense of "balance"
   "balance".en.synset( :verb )
   # => #<WordNet::Synset:0x4033f448 balance, equilibrate, equilibrize, 
equilibrise
   (verb): "bring into balance or equilibrium; "She has to balance work 
and her
   domestic duties"; "balance the two weights"" (derivations: 7, 
antonyms: 1,
   verbGroups: 2, hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 5)>

   # Fetch the second noun sense
   "balance".en.synset( 2, :noun )
   # => #<WordNet::Synset:0x404ebb24 balance (noun): "a scale for 
weighing; depends
   on pull of gravity" (hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 5)>

   # Fetch the second noun sense's hypernyms (more-general words, like a 
superclass)
   "balance".en.synset( 2, :noun ).hypernyms
   # => [#<WordNet::Synset:0x404e5620 scale, weighing machine (noun): "a 
measuring
   instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass" (derivations: 2, 
hypernyms: 1,
   hyponyms: 2)>]

   # A simpler way of doing the same thing:
   "balance".en.hypernyms( 2, :noun )
   # => [#<WordNet::Synset:0x404e5620 scale, weighing machine (noun): "a 
measuring
   instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass" (derivations: 2, 
hypernyms: 1,
   hyponyms: 2)>]

   # Fetch the first hypernym's hypernyms
   "balance".en.synset( 2, :noun ).hypernyms.first.hypernyms
   # => [#<WordNet::Synset:0x404c60b8 measuring instrument, measuring 
system,
   measuring device (noun): "instrument that shows the extent or amount 
or quantity
   or degree of something" (hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 83)>]

   # Find the synset to which both the second noun sense of "balance" 
and the
   # default sense of "shovel" belong.
   ("balance".en.synset( 2, :noun ) | "shovel".en.synset)
   # => #<WordNet::Synset:0x40473da4 instrumentality, instrumentation 
(noun): "an
   artifact (or system of artifacts) that is instrumental in 
accomplishing some
   end" (derivations: 1, hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 13)>

   # Fetch just the words for the other kinds of "instruments"
   "instrument".en.hyponyms.collect {|synset| synset.words}.flatten
   # => ["analyzer", "analyser", "cautery", "cauterant", "drafting 
instrument",
   "extractor", "instrument of execution", "instrument of punishment", 
"measuring
   instrument", "measuring system", "measuring device", "medical 
instrument",
   "navigational instrument", "optical instrument", "plotter", 
"scientific
   instrument", "sonograph", "surveying instrument", "surveyor's 
instrument",
   "tracer", "weapon", "arm", "weapon system", "whip"]

There are many more WordNet methods supported � too many to list here. 
See the
documentation for the complete list.


== LinkParser Integration

Another new feature in version 0.02 is integration with the Ruby 
version of the
CMU Link Grammar Parser by Martin Chase. If you have the LinkParser 
module
installed, you can create linkages from English sentences that let you 
query for
parts of speech:

   # Test to see whether or not the link parser is loaded.
   Linguistics::EN.has_link_parser?
   # => true

   # Diagram the first linkage for a test sentence
   puts "he is a big dog".sentence.linkages.first.to_s
	  +---O*---+
	  | +--Ds--+
    +Ss+ |  +-A-+
    |  | |  |   |
   he is a big dog

   # Find the verb in the sentence
   "he is a big dog".en.sentence.verb.to_s
   # => "is"

   # Combined infinitive + LinkParser: Find the infinitive form of the 
verb of the
   given sentence.
   "he is a big dog".en.sentence.verb.infinitive
   # => "be"

   # Find the direct object of the sentence
   "he is a big dog".en.sentence.object.to_s
   # => "dog"

   # Look at the raw LinkParser::Word for the direct object of the 
sentence.
   "he is a big dog".en.sentence.object
   # => #<LinkParser::Word:0x403da0a0 @definition=[[{@A-}, Ds-, {@M+}, 
J-], [{@A-},
   Ds-, {@M+}, Os-], [{@A-}, Ds-, {@M+}, Ss+, {@CO-}, {C-}], [{@A-}, 
Ds-, {@M+},
   Ss+, R-], [{@A-}, Ds-, {@M+}, SIs-], [{@A-}, Ds-, {R+}, {Bs+}, J-], 
[{@A-}, Ds-,
   {R+}, {Bs+}, Os-], [{@A-}, Ds-, {R+}, {Bs+}, Ss+, {@CO-}, {C-}], 
[{@A-}, Ds-,
   {R+}, {Bs+}, Ss+, R-], [{@A-}, Ds-, {R+}, {Bs+}, SIs-]], @right=[], 
@suffix="",
   @left=[#<LinkParser::Connection:0x403da028 
@rword=#<LinkParser::Word:0x403da0a0
   ...>, @lword=#<LinkParser::Word:0x403da0b4 @definition=[[Ss-, O+, 
{@MV+}], [Ss-,
   B-, {@MV+}], [Ss-, P+], [Ss-, AF-], [RS-, Bs-, O+, {@MV+}], [RS-, 
Bs-, B-,
   {@MV+}], [RS-, Bs-, P+], [RS-, Bs-, AF-], [{Q-}, SIs+, O+, {@MV+}], 
[{Q-}, SIs+,
   B-, {@MV+}], [{Q-}, SIs+, P+], [{Q-}, SIs+, AF-]],
   @right=[#<LinkParser::Connection:0x403da028 ...>], @suffix="", 
@left=[],
   @name="is", @position=1>, @subName="*", @name="O", @length=3>], 
@name="dog",
   @position=4>

   # Combine WordNet + LinkParser to find the definition of the direct 
object of
   # the sentence
   "he is a big dog".en.sentence.object.gloss
   # => "a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common 
wolf) that
   has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many 
breeds;
   \"the dog barked all night\""


To find out more, visit the project's home page:

   <http://www.devEiate.org/code/linguistics.html>

You can also download the module directly from:

   <http://www.devEiate.org/code/Linguistics-0.02.tar.gz>

Thanks for your time.
--
Michael Granger <ged@FaerieMUD.org>
Rubymage, Believer, Architect
The FaerieMUD Consortium <http://www.FaerieMUD.org/>