Prepositional Chains

Creating and binding together a microcontext for dense and

complex sentences

Constraining Relations

The increase in the rate of receptor methylation upon CheW binding contributes significantly to the ligand specificity and kinetics of sensory adaptation.

Without the bonds formed by the prepositional chains the verb relation would float free - the

chains constrain it and give it context and descriptive power

Chains That Bind

The chains can go in many directions, and are often tangled together by the restrictions of linear text

(and sometimes the structure is logically mangled as well)

Back - Referencing

He bought a collar for the dog for six dollars

A simple example -

Once a preposition has built a long back reference, prepositions to its right can see over but cannot

see through the back reference

Need to See It All

All the possibilities need to be in play and be pruned away, not just crawling left on failure

A Mixed Chain

...having regard in particular to the applicable specifications and instructions for use as published by the Seller.

This is a typical mixed chain - it involves conjunctions and participials and “best fit”. The object to the right of the conjunction needs to be compared for similarity with each of the objects to its left, and an ObjectGroup created. The word “published” has a better fit with “specifications” than it does with “use”, although “...having regard for the use as published by the Seller”is at least possible, so it cannot be made impossible.

Realistic Example

Leases

O nEarlier

C om m aC onta in ing6000 sqft

ForPeriod

ToO ccur

ThatPortion

August 312009

August 312009

O fR entable

AsSuite 2700O n

Date

ObjectGroup

ObjectGroup

Relative Pronoun Clause

In this chain, there are 11 connections to neighbors and 5 long range jumps. The jumps here are related to a comma, participials and conjunctions, but can also occur with prepositions.Of particular significance is a prepositional jump over the object of the verb to a preceding prepositional - poor style, but there it is

A Typical Mixed Chain

Relation as Anchor

Often relation structures dominate, rather than prepositions freely linking to objects on their left. Here, the “described” participial is using a preposition to link to its subject and “attached as” implies an additional “described” relation.

Participials

Participials can be foreshortened infinitives following TransInfinitive verbs

He wanted John (to be) running the companyHe wanted John banned from the factory

or implicit whiles

He hurt his hand (while he was) servicing the engine

These possibilities need to be explored while the chain is unravelled

Prepositions Represent Structure

The Blue Of The Sky - attribute of object

Matching Structure

Matching a Preposition’s Meaning

Maps That Build

Maps can match, actualise and build new structure

New objects

Active MapsPrepositional maps can:

match against existing or inheritable structuremust not be child of ToDo relation

actualise implicit relations“attached as Exhibit A” - it is attached and described as

build new objects or relations“the owner of the building” has a relation inserted

merge existing objects“the unpaid amount of $50” becomes one object

replace objects with new ones5% of the amount becomes a new amount

push values through the structure“less than 25 square metres” can cause an inconsistency

change property inheritance connectionsa gun becomes a pistol by connecting to a child of gun

Maps Are Structure

Maps are just more structure, so that they may be created out of existing structure.

This is case-based reasoning - some structure has been built from experience, so it is generalised into a map to be used in other instances. The subtlety of an undirected constraint-reasoning map linked into the hierarchy of all the objects it connects is far away from the all too often fallacious results from directed reasoning on misapplied cases.

Immediately Active

As soon as the map structure is built, it becomes active. States or values or ranges or objects are pushed through it and the surrounding structure, causing switching, cutting or other building.

The maps do not cooperate directly, because each is unaware of the presence of other maps - all they see is the common structure, which they extend and activate, or wait their turn again.

Each map does very little - representing a word or three, or even no words at all, where structure is implied by the arrangement of words. The combination of their activity builds all the structure the text represents.

Increasingly Knotty

As chains become longer the knottedness increases a prepositional phrase following the verb of the sentence can point

• back to the preceding object• forward to the following object• back to the verb• a prior prepositional phrase• a following prepositional phrase

or be tangled with a participial or an adjectival phrase

Building the Alternatives

The alternatives are constructed, then pruned using “sheathing” of intermediate points. Semantics are used around participials to determine where there is a “fit”

Untangling the Chain

The various meanings of the particular preposition or participial relation and knowledge about objects and relations provides potential connection sites

When there are many prepositional and participial phrases - as many as twenty chained together around a verb in dense scientific and legal text - and many potential targets with implicit gaps in a shifting overall context, it becomes a dynamic constraint problem in manipulating objects and meanings to make sense of the connections