Academic literature on the topic 'Kru languages'

Query understanding (QU) plays a vital role in natural language processing, particularly in regard to question answering and dialogue systems. QU finds the named entity and query intent in users’ questions. Traditional pipeline approaches manage the two mentioned tasks, namely, the named entity recognition (NER) and the question classification (QC), separately. NER is seen as a sequence labeling task to predict a keyword, while QC is a semantic classification task to predict the user’s intent. Considering the correlation between these two tasks, training them together could be of benefit to both of them. Kazakh is a low-resource language with wealthy lexical and agglutinative characteristics. We argue that current QU techniques restrict the power of the word-level and sentence-level features of agglutinative languages, especially the stem, suffixes, POS, and gazetteers. This paper proposes a new multi-task learning model for query understanding (MTQU). The MTQU model is designed to establish direct connections for QC and NER tasks to help them promote each other mutually, while we also designed a multi-feature input layer that significantly influenced the model’s performance during training. In addition, we constructed new corpora for the Kazakh query understanding task, namely, the KQU. As a result, the MTQU model is simple and effective and obtains competitive results for the KQU.

RESUMO Cele al alia lingvopolitiko en Sudano La aǔtoro mallonge priskribas la lingvan situacion en Sudano cele al evidentigo de la etna kaj lingva diverseco, kiu karakterizas tiun landon. Li montras la efektivan korelacion inter la uzado de tiuj lingvoj kaj ekonomiaj, politikaj kaj sociaj faktoroj, por tiel trabati la limigitan kadron de ellistigo de lingvoj kaj parolantoj, kiu estas tro kutima en studoj de multlingveco. Li krome emfazas la gravecon de la nocio de vehikuleco kiel objektiva donitaĵo se oni volas mezuri la veran naturon de lingva diverseco. Pro tio, li traktas la arabajn dialektojn de la nordo same kiel tiujn de la sudo, kie la situacio ŝajnas esti aparte komplika. Fine, la procedo de arabigo de la lando estas esplorata por substreki la ligon inter la lingva kaj religia faktoroj kaj la efiko de tiu procedo je la parolantoj de indiĝenaj lingvoj. Konklude, la aütoro proponas lingvan politikon, kiu, prenante en konsideron la plurlingvan karakteron de la sudana socio, celas al starigo de ekvilibro inter la diversaj etnaj komponentoj de la lando. SUMMARY Toward a Different Language Policy in the Sudan The author provides a brief description of the language situation in the Sudan to show its ethnic and linguistic diversity. Departing from the prevailing tendency in studies of multilingualism, namely, the narrow enumeration of languages and speakers, he examines the actual correlation between language use and economic, political, and social factors. He stresses the importance of the notion of vehicular language as an objective means of measuring the true nature of linguistic diversity. Thus he includes in his study the Arabic dialects of the north as well as those of the south, where the situation seems particularly complicated. Finally, the process of the arabization of the country is studied to underline the link between linguistic and religious factors and the impact of this process on speakers of the vernacular. The author concludes by recommending a language policy that would take the multilingual character of Sudanese society into consideration and would aim for the establishment of an equilibrium among the various ethnic elements in the country.

Abstract This paper finds origins for the three Kra-Dai tones in the segmental endings of Proto-Southern Austronesian, the parent language of Kra-Dai and Malayo-Polynesian. The Kra-Dai A category originates in sonorant endings (vowels, semi-vowels, nasals, liquids) and in Proto-Austronesian *-H2, reconstructed by Tsuchida (1976); the B category in *-R and in *-X, a hitherto not reconstructed ending reflected as -h in Amis and in the Bisayan language Aklanon; the C category, in Proto-Austronesian *-H1, reconstructed by Tsuchida. The tonal outcomes of *-s and *-S are described. Kra-Dai sonorant endings in tone C are argued to come from hypothetical Austronesian prototypes in which a sonorant ending was followed by *-s, a suffix of unknown function. Although the present model does not require Kra-Dai to be a daughter of Proto-Austronesian, the building blocks for Kra-Dai tones are shown to be in place during the Formosan phase of Austronesian phonological history.

SUMMARY Simultaneous Sign Language Interpretation One of the most significant moves made by the Canadian government in 1979, on the recommendation of a parliamentary committee, was to make, not the Department of Health and Welfare, but the Secretary of State's Translation Bureau responsible for sign language interpretation. The Bureau accordingly established its sign language service to parallel the spoken service it maintains in Canada's official languages as well as in a variety of other languages. The service is intended for use by any hearing-impaired person in Canada having to deal with a representative of the federal government. The efforts of the Bureau to professionalize sign language interpretation meet with objections from two groups: those who seem to regard this type of interpretation as a crutch, a last resort, rather than a bona fide means of expression, and those who seem to be afraid of being judged by others. Sign languages are languages in their own right. We should recognize visual language interpreters as siblings, as equals of their "vocal" counterparts. RESUMO Simultana interpretado de gesta lingvafo Unu el la decidoj plej signifaj, faritaj de la kanada registaro en 1979, laù rekomendo de parlamenta komitato, estis konfidi la interpretadon de gestaj lingvajoj ne al la Ministerio pri Sano kaj Bonstato, sed al la Traduka Fako de la Stata Sekretario. La Fako starigis interpretan servon por gesta lingvo, kiu sekvis la saman linion kiel tiuj por la parolataj lingvoj, pri kiuj gi estas sargita—nome la oficialaj lingvoj de Kanado kaj certa nombro de aliaj lingvoj. La servo celas ciujn aùdajn handikapitojn en Kanado, kiuj havas okazon trakti kun reprezentanto de la federacia administracio. La klopodoj de la Fako doni al la gesta interpretado profesian statuson renkontas la opozicion de du grupoj: tiuj, kiuj sajne konsideras tiun tipon de interpretado nura lambastono, ia lasta espero, pli ol efektiva esprimrimedo, kaj tiuj, kiuj sajne timas la jugon de siaj kolegoj. La gestaj lingvoj estas plenrajtaj lingvoj. Necesas rekoni la interpretistojn de vidaj lingvoj kiel fratojn egalajn al iliaj "busaj" samnomuloj.