Lingala/Disambiguation

Initial Evaluation of Ambiguity

Initially, the corpus had an ambiguity of 1.1581.

Example of Ambiguity

One main source of ambiguity that can be readily fixed by constraint rules involves kozala (which is "to be" in Lingala). Kozala can function as both a main verb, where it takes <v>, and an auxiliary verb, where it takes <vaux>. Two initial sentences highlighting the ambiguity are highlighted below. Note that these sentences are shown before each word of the sentence has been added to the Lexicon.

• ^Moyíbi/moyíbi<n><sg><cl1>/moyíbi<n><sg><cl3>$ ^w/*w$â^ná/*ná$ ^bapoli/*bapoli$c^e/*e$ ^bazaláká/kozala<v><past><p3><pl><aa>/kozala<vaux><past><p3><pl><aa>$ ^koluka/*koluka$ ^yé/yé<prn><pers><p3><sg><aa>$ ^bandá/*bandá$ ^kala/*kala$^./.<sent>$
• ^Ezalí/kozala<v><pres><p3><sg><nn>/kozala<v><pres><p3><pl><nn>/kozala<vaux><pres><p3><sg><nn>/kozala<vaux><pres><p3><pl><nn>$ ^miko/*miko$ ^mauti/*mauti$ ^na/na<pr>/na<cngcoo>$ ^yo/yó<prn><pers><p2><sg><aa>$ ^soko/*soko$ ^mokonzi/mokonzi<n><sg><cl1>$ ^awei/*awei$ ^ntango/*ntango$ ^na/na<pr>/na<cngcoo>$ ^lisálisi/*lisálisi$^!/!<sent>$

For convenience, the sentences without analysis are listed below:

• Moyíbi wâná bapolice bazaláká koluka yé bandá kala.
• Ezalí miko mauti na yo soko mokonzi awei ntango na lisálisi!

In order to ensure that all forms analyze, a number of items were added or changed in the Lexicon:

• The determiner wâná and appropriate analysis was added
• The loan word bapolice, a plural noun of no class, was added to a special loan word lexicon
• The verb stem -luk- (infinitive koluka, meaning to search) was added to the verb stem lexicon
• Added both bandá and kala (since and long ago, respectively) to a new adverb lexicon
• Added miko to the noun class III/IV lexicon
• Added mauti as a relative pronoun in a new "tentative" lexicon. This is because it is translated "which" but I cannot verify the analysis independently in a grammar book or dictionary
• Added soko ("if") as a subordinating conjunction. Rearranged conjunction tagging lexicon to distinguish between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
• Added kowâ with irregular steam -we- to the verb lexicon. This should analyze every form except the infinitive correctly.
• Added ntango to the noun IX-X lexicon
• Added lisálísí to the noun V-VI lexicon.

After these changes, the two sentences are analyzed as follows (with the correct analysis for kozala bolded):

• ^Moyíbi/moyíbi<n><sg><cl3>/moyíbi<n><sg><cl1>$ ^wâná/wâná<det><dem>$ ^bapolice/bapolice<n><pl>$ ^bazaláká/kozala<v><past><p3><pl><aa>/kozala<vaux><past><p3><pl><aa>$ ^koluka/koluka<v><inf>$ ^yé/yé<prn><pers><p3><sg><aa>$ ^bandá/bandá<adv>$ ^kala/kala<adv>$^./.<sent>$
• ^Ezalí/kozala<v><pres><p3><sg><nn>/kozala<v><pres><p3><pl><nn>/kozala<vaux><pres><p3><sg><nn>/kozala<vaux><pres><p3><pl><nn>$ ^miko/miko<n><pl><cl4>$ ^mauti/mauti<prn><rel>$ ^na/na<pr>/na<cngcoo>$ ^yo/yó<prn><pers><p2><sg><aa>$ ^soko/soko<cnjsub>$ ^mokonzi/mokonzi<n><sg><cl1>$ ^awei/kowâ<v><pres><p3><sg><aa>$ ^ntango/ntango<n><sg><cl9>/ntango<n><pl><cl10>$ ^na/na<pr>/na<cngcoo>$ ^lisálisi/lisálísí<n><sg><cl5>$^!/!<sent>$

Note also that as a result of the changes to the lexicon, the corpus ambiguity level decreased slightly to 1.156.