Syntax-semantics interface: an algebraic model

TL;DR

This paper introduces an algebraic model for the syntax-semantics interface using Hopf algebras, linking methods from physics to linguistic meaning extraction and discussing implications for large language models.

Contribution

It extends algebraic formulations of Merge and Minimalism to model the syntax-semantics interface, integrating physics-inspired methods into linguistic theory.

Findings

Relevance of renormalization techniques to semantic interpretation

Connection between algebraic models and computational semantics

Implications for understanding large language models' functioning

Abstract

We extend our formulation of Merge and Minimalism in terms of Hopf algebras to an algebraic model of a syntactic-semantic interface. We show that methods adopted in the formulation of renormalization (extraction of meaningful physical values) in theoretical physics are relevant to describe the extraction of meaning from syntactic expressions. We show how this formulation relates to computational models of semantics and we answer some recent controversies about implications for generative linguistics of the current functioning of large language models.