XMG: eXtensible MetaGrammar

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce eXtensible MetaGrammar (XMG), a framework for specifying tree-based grammars such as Feature-Based Lexicalised Tree-Adjoining Grammars (FB-LTAG) and Interaction Grammars (IG). We argue that XMG displays three features which facilitate both grammar writing and a fast prototyping of tree-based grammars.  Firstly, XMG is fully declarative. For instance, it permits a declarative treatment of diathesis that markedly departs from the procedural lexical rules often used to specify tree-based grammars. Secondly, the XMG language has a high notational expressivity in that it supports multiple linguistic dimensions, inheritance and a sophisticated treatment of identifiers. In particular, we show that XMG permits a simple treatment of the various types of identifier coreferences required by the specification of large grammars. Thirdly, XMG is extensible in that its computational architecture facilitates the extension to other linguistic formalisms.  We explain how this architecture naturally supports the design of three linguistic formalisms namely, FB-LTAG, IG, and Multi-Component Tree-Adjoining Grammar (MC-TAG). We further show how it permits a straightforward integration of additional mechanisms such as linguistic and formal principles. To further illustrate the declarativity, notational expressivity and extensibility of XMG, we describe the methodology used to specify an FB-LTAG for French augmented with a unification-based compositional semantics. This illustrates both how XMG facilitates the modelling of the tree fragment hierarchies required to specify tree-based grammars and of a syntax/semantics interface between semantic representations and syntactic trees. Finally, we briefly report on several grammars for French, English and German that were implemented using XMG and compare XMG to other existing grammar specification frameworks for tree-based grammars.