Journal

Volume 26, Issue 2 (June 30, 2025)

4 articles

• Combinatory Logic, Semantics and Cognition
  by Miloud Rouabhi1 & Jean-Pierre Desclés
  J. CS. 2025, 26(2), 111-158;
  Abstract Combinatory Logic (CL) of H. B. Curry is a formalism where any operators can be composed and transformed by abstract operators (called combinators), without using bound variables. The actions of combinators are presented by introduction and elimination rules in the Gentzen’s.natural deduction style.... [Read more].
  Abstract Combinatory Logic (CL) of H. B. Curry is a formalism where any operators can be composed and transformed by abstract operators (called combinators), without using bound variables. The actions of combinators are presented by introduction and elimination rules in the Gentzen’s.natural deduction style. By explicit deductions using combinators, it is shown how linguistic expressions are analyzed and linked to their structured semantic and cognitive representations where different types of cognitive primitives (operators and relators) are composed together. CL is used in the theoretical model of GRACE (GRammar of Applicative, Cognitive and Enunciative operations) to explain how activity of language, expressed by natural languages, works with changes of metalinguistic representations between different levels of processing: from a linguistic level towards a semantic-cognitive interpretation, according to a bottom up processing and from cognitive schemes towards their linguistic expressions, according to a top down processing. Some illustrating examples of changes of representations are given; one example is about a semantic representation of the verbal unit ‘go out of’, other examples are about the semantic representations of aspects and tenses. [Collapse]
• On Anaphoric Bare Nouns in Korean: Their Interaction with the Particle NUN
  by Myung-Kwan Park
  J. CS. 2025, 26(2), 159-187;
  Abstract This paper examines anaphoric bare nouns in Korean, concentrating on their interaction with the topic marker NUN. Unlike in English, Korean bare nouns (without determiners) can function as anaphoric definites by referring back to their antecedents introduced in prior discourse. However, Kim (2023) a... [Read more].
  Abstract This paper examines anaphoric bare nouns in Korean, concentrating on their interaction with the topic marker NUN. Unlike in English, Korean bare nouns (without determiners) can function as anaphoric definites by referring back to their antecedents introduced in prior discourse. However, Kim (2023) and Tomioka (2024) recently note that when marked with NUN or WA, the displaced bare nouns in apparent topic position require a preceding definite demonstrative to serve this function, a pattern observed in both Korean and Japanese. By focusing on Korean cases and comparing them with Chinese counterparts, we argue that the definite demonstrative ku ‘that’ on the displaced NUN-marked bare nouns in apparent topic position is necessary for reasons beyond simply encoding anaphoric definiteness. In a non-contrastive context where only one referent has been introduced in prior discourse, NUN marking on the displaced anaphoric bare noun in apparent topic position in the following sentence results in infelicity, as it inherently induces a contrastive topic reading. However, this effect is neutralized when the noun at hand is preceded by the definite demonstrative. [Collapse]
• Investigating LLMs’ Processing of Binding Relations in Korean
  by anaphor, antecedent, binding, large language model, syntax-semantics interface
  J. CS. 2025, 26(2), 189-216;
  Abstract This study examines the linguistic competence of large language models (LLMs) by evaluating their performance on anaphoric binding in Korean, a language that permits both local and long-distance binding. Using 280 test sentences adapted from prior experiments on native speakers’ preferences for loca... [Read more].
  Abstract This study examines the linguistic competence of large language models (LLMs) by evaluating their performance on anaphoric binding in Korean, a language that permits both local and long-distance binding. Using 280 test sentences adapted from prior experiments on native speakers’ preferences for local versus long-distance binding, we tested three Generative Pretrained Transformers—GPT-3.5-turbo, GPT-4, and GPT-4o—on their ability to resolve reflexives and pronouns. Across all models, we observed a strong and consistent preference for long-distance binding, even in contexts where native Korean speakers reliably favor local antecedents. This pattern was especially pronounced with morphologically complex anaphors such as caki-casin and ku-casin, for which the models selected long-distance antecedents in 66.7% of cases for GPT-3.5-turbo, 72.5% for GPT-4, and 50% for GPT-4o. These results suggest that the models do not replicate the nuanced patterns of native speaker judgments, particularly in contexts involving morphological or syntactic complexity. However, despite these discrepancies, the models—especially GPT-4o—did exhibit some sensitivity to semantic constraints. In gender-controlled conditions, GPT-4o selected the appropriate local antecedent for ku-casin in 95% of cases in Experiment 1 and 70% in Experiment 2, and the correct long-distance antecedent for kunye in 90% of both experiments. This indicates that while LLMs do not fully internalize binding principles in a native-like way, they are capable of utilizing lexical-semantic cues such as gender to guide antecedent resolution. The findings highlight both the potential and limitations of current LLMs at the syntax-semantics interface and underscore the importance of evaluating these models on linguistically rich and typologically diverse phenomena to gain a deeper understanding of their representational capabilities and theoretical adequacy. [Collapse]
• Korean Fuzzy Number Words: A Window onto Number Representations and Number-word Pragmatics
  by Choon-Kyu Lee & Rochel Gelman
  J. CS. 2025, 26(2), 217-226;
  Abstract Twenty-three adult native speakers of Korean participated in an appropriateness judgment task involving pre-recorded utterances of exact and fuzzy number words. Our results indicate that the use or interpretation of a fuzzy number word is judged to be appropriate whenever the corresponding point val... [Read more].
  Abstract Twenty-three adult native speakers of Korean participated in an appropriateness judgment task involving pre-recorded utterances of exact and fuzzy number words. Our results indicate that the use or interpretation of a fuzzy number word is judged to be appropriate whenever the corresponding point value is anywhere inside the range bounded by the natural numbers constituting the fuzzy number word. Results also suggest that the use of a fuzzy number word might be considered more natural as an input in the form of a request or command than as an output in the form of an estimate. [Collapse]