Evolution of the Logos grammar: system design and development methodology.
Patricia Schmid, Claudia Gdaniec · 1996
The history of MT shows how the shortcomings of one approach become the catalyst for a new approach. New systems are designed in reaction to old systems ' weaknesses. Yet some old systems have survived and are being used increasingly in the "real world" of translation. One of these systems is Logos. While keeping its fundamental approach, Logos has evolved through its own design history so that today's grammar looks quite different from the earliest model. Our paper describes how the Logos system evolved in response to requirements of development, both linguistic and methodological. We describe four "generations " of the Logos English-source system, each situated in its technological context, with the most recent generation allowing for completely separate development of analysis and transfer components. The system has become larger and more complex over the years, but at the same time more modular. Combined with the advances in computer technology, this modularity makes it easier to develop and improve grammars. Linguists can now work independently, both on-site and remotely, on different source and target languages. 1.