---
title: "Resolving Quasi Logical Forms — paper by Alshawi (1990)"
description: "The paper addresses how a sentence's context-independent semantic analysis relates to its… 25 references, cited by 10 papers here."
authors: ["Hiyan Alshawi"]
year: 1990
venue: "Computational Linguistics"
source: "https://aclanthology.org/J90-3001/"
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licence_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"
summary_licence: "Elamur Cosmic License"
canonical: "https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/alshawi-1990-resolving-quasi-logical-forms/"
---
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# Resolving Quasi Logical Forms

**Authors:** [Hiyan Alshawi](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/authors/hiyan-alshawi/) · **Year:** 1990 · **Venue:** [Computational Linguistics](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/cl/) ([Computational Linguistics 1990](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/cl/1990/)) · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (ACL Anthology, before 2016)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

**Links:** [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/J90-3001/) · [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/J90-3001.pdf) · [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W1605950165)

**Citations:** 64 citations (OpenAlex, 2026-10-14) · [10](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/alshawi-1990-resolving-quasi-logical-forms/cited-by/) in our library, of the 149,439 papers whose bibliographies we read

## Summary
The paper addresses how a sentence's context-independent semantic analysis relates to its interpretation in context. It focuses on referring expressions and implicit relations. Working within SRI's Core Language Engine (CLE), Alshawi introduces Quasi Logical Form (QLF), an intermediate level produced by compositional morphological, syntactic and semantic rules. QLF leaves pronouns, reflexives, definite descriptions and implicit relations unresolved. It also leaves quantifier scope and collective/distributive readings unspecified.

A separate resolution stage turns QLFs into fully specified logical forms (LFs). An ordered, declarative set of reference resolution rules proposes candidate referents, quantifiers and relations. Linguistic and pragmatic plausibility constraints then filter the candidates, which are checked in an enriched "resolved QLF" (RQLF). Because the rules are kept apart from the general algorithm, rule sets can be rewritten for other languages or sublanguages without changing the mechanism.

The paper gives no quantitative evaluation. Its contribution is a modular architecture that covers a broad range of English reference phenomena. It shows that constraints such as binding conditions on reflexives can be stated cleanly at the logical-form level.

## Key points
- **Three unresolved QLF constructs:**
  - a_terms for anaphoric noun phrases
  - q_terms for quantified noun phrases
  - a_forms for implicit relations, such as compound nominals and genitives, and for ellipsis
- **Two declaration types:**
  - `refrule(QLF_expression, Method)` declarations link unifying QLF patterns to Prolog resolution methods, which return ranked candidates by backtracking.
  - `reflex` lexical declarations supply predicates for relational nouns and determiners.
- **Representation chain:**
  - QLF serves as the semantic analysis.
  - RQLF, which keeps the QLF information and adds resolutions in place, serves as the interpretation in context.
  - LF, a first-order extension with Woods-style four-part generalized quantifiers, serves as the truth conditions.
- **Reflexive constraint:**
  - It is checked on predicate-argument structure, including infinitival complements, comparatives (`more`) and "representational" picture nouns.
  - A known weakness is that it depends on whether prepositional phrases are subcategorized.
- **Future work** is planned within CLARE: ellipsis, temporal indices, and plausibility via inference and probabilistic reasoning. CLE development was funded by Alvey and the NATTIE consortium.

*Our summary of the paper, in our own words — not its text. The work belongs to its authors; read it at the links above.*

## Institutions

- [SRI International](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/labs/sri-international/) — Research institute, Menlo Park, United States · 23 works · 7,208 citations

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🧭 Topics (1): [🧾 Semantic parsing & meaning representation](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/topics/semantic-parsing/) · 185 works

## Cite

Cite as: Hiyan Alshawi. 1990. Resolving Quasi Logical Forms. Computational Linguistics.

The paper itself, not this page. BibTeX from the library's record of the work.

```bibtex
@article{alshawi1990resolving,
  title = {{Resolving Quasi Logical Forms}},
  author = {Hiyan Alshawi},
  journal = {Computational Linguistics},
  year = {1990},
  url = {https://aclanthology.org/J90-3001/}
}
```

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## References

25 references, 1 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Alshawi, H. 1987 Memory and Context for Language Interpretation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Alshawi%2C+H%2E+1987+Memory+and+Context+for+Language+Interpretation%2E+Cambridge+University+Press%2C+Cambridge%2C+England%2E)
2. Alshawi, H. and van Eijck, J. 1989 Logical Forms in the Core Language Engine. 27th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, Vancouver, British Columbia. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Alshawi%2C+H%2E+and+van+Eijck%2C+J%2E+1989+Logical+Forms+in+the+Core+Language+Engine%2E+27th+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+for+Computational+Linguistics%2C+Vancouver%2C+British+Columbia%2E)
3. Alshawi, H., Carter, D. M., van Eijck, J., Moore, R. C., Moran, D. B., Pereira, F. C. N., Pulman, S. G. and Smith, A. G. 1988 Interim Report on the SRI Core Language Engine. Technical Report CCSRC-5, SRI International, Cambridge Research Centre, Cambridge, England. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Alshawi%2C+H%2E%2C+Carter%2C+D%2E+M%2E%2C+van+Eijck%2C+J%2E%2C+Moore%2C+R%2E+C%2E%2C+Moran%2C+D%2E+B%2E%2C+Pereira%2C+F%2E+C%2E+N%2E%2C+Pulman%2C+S%2E+G%2E+and+Smith%2C+A%2E+G%2E+1988+Interim+Report+on+the+SRI+Core+Language+Engine%2E+Technical+Report+CCSRC%2D5%2C+)
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5. Geach, P. 1962 Reference and Generality. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Geach%2C+P%2E+1962+Reference+and+Generality%2E+Cornell+University+Press%2C+Ithaca%2C+NY%2E)
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9. Kamp, H. 1981 A Theory of Truth and Semantic Representation. In: Groenendijk, J. A. G., Janssen, T. M. V., and Stokhof, M. B. J., eds., Formal Methods in the Study of Language. Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kamp%2C+H%2E+1981+A+Theory+of+Truth+and+Semantic+Representation%2E+In%3A+Groenendijk%2C+J%2E+A%2E+G%2E%2C+Janssen%2C+T%2E+M%2E+V%2E%2C+and+Stokhof%2C+M%2E+B%2E+J%2E%2C+eds%2E%2C+Formal+Methods+in+the+Study+of+Language%2E+Mathematisch+Centrum%2C+A)
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11. McDonald, D. B. 1982 Understanding Noun Compounds. Ph.D. thesis, Carnegie-Mellon University, PA. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McDonald%2C+D%2E+B%2E+1982+Understanding+Noun+Compounds%2E+Ph%2ED%2E+thesis%2C+Carnegie%2DMellon+University%2C+PA%2E)
12. May, R. 1985 Logical Form. Linguistic Inquiry Monographs, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=May%2C+R%2E+1985+Logical+Form%2E+Linguistic+Inquiry+Monographs%2C+MIT+Press%2C+Cambridge%2C+MA%2E)
13. Melli,;h, C. S. 1988 [Implementing Systemic Classification by Unification](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/mellish-1988-implementing-systemic-classification-unification/). Computational Linguistics 14:40-51.
14. Montague, R. 1984 The Proper Treatment of Quantification in Ordinary English. In: Thomason, R., ed., Formal Philosophy: Selected Papers of Richard Montague. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Montague%2C+R%2E+1984+The+Proper+Treatment+of+Quantification+in+Ordinary+English%2E+In%3A+Thomason%2C+R%2E%2C+ed%2E%2C+Formal+Philosophy%3A+Selected+Papers+of+Richard+Montague%2E+Yale+University+Press%2C+New+Haven%2C+CT%2E)
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17. Partee, B. 1978 Bound Variables and Other Anaphors. In: Waltz, D., ed., Proceedings of TINLAP-2. University of Illinois-Urbana. 79-83. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Partee%2C+B%2E+1978+Bound+Variables+and+Other+Anaphors%2E+In%3A+Waltz%2C+D%2E%2C+ed%2E%2C+Proceedings+of+TINLAP%2D2%2E+University+of+Illinois%2DUrbana%2E+79%2D83%2E)
18. Pereira, F. C. N. 1981 Extraposition Grammars. Computational Linguistics 7:243-256. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Pereira%2C+F%2E+C%2E+N%2E+1981+Extraposition+Grammars%2E+Computational+Linguistics+7%3A243%2D256%2E)
19. Pollack, M. E. and Pereira, F. C. N. 1988 An Integrated Framework for Seraantic and Pragmatic Interpretation. 26th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics. 75-86. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Pollack%2C+M%2E+E%2E+and+Pereira%2C+F%2E+C%2E+N%2E+1988+An+Integrated+Framework+for+Seraantic+and+Pragmatic+Interpretation%2E+26th+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+for+Computational+Linguistics%2E+75%2D86%2E)
20. Reinhart, T. 1983 Anaphora and Semantic Interpretation. Croom Helm, London, U.K. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Reinhart%2C+T%2E+1983+Anaphora+and+Semantic+Interpretation%2E+Croom+Helm%2C+London%2C+U%2EK%2E)
21. Scha, R. J. H. 1981 Distributive, Collective and Cumulative Quantification. In: Groenendijk, J. A. G., Janssen, T. M. V., and Stokhof, M. B. J., eds., Formal Methods in the Study of Language. Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Scha%2C+R%2E+J%2E+H%2E+1981+Distributive%2C+Collective+and+Cumulative+Quantification%2E+In%3A+Groenendijk%2C+J%2E+A%2E+G%2E%2C+Janssen%2C+T%2E+M%2E+V%2E%2C+and+Stokhof%2C+M%2E+B%2E+J%2E%2C+eds%2E%2C+Formal+Methods+in+the+Study+of+Language%2E+Mathemat)
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*Updated 30 October 2026*