RESEARCH INTERESTS

I apply original methods of research based on linguistic theories (of syntax, semantics and inferential pragmatics) for practice oriented studies focusing on the way the language is used by real speakers in the particular circumstances of varied social and historical contexts starting with COURT DISCUSSIONS (legal Hebrew/Arabic/English) and ending with face to face conversations (Spoken Hebrew).

 

The main theoretical subject of my research is Sperber and Wilson’s theory of COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS (“relevance theory”): I have derived from relevance-theoretic principles a tool of interpretation applicable for practice oriented studies of verbal communication. This tool is intended for people who wish to make sure that they thoroughly understand a certain text (including the meaning hidden between its lines) in general, and in particular for legal laypersons who wish to make sure that they thoroughly understand a legal text. As the tool is consist of a general method of measuring the relevance of a text to an individual, it enables decision in cases of doubt whether a given interpretation of a certain text is, indeed, the text’s correct interpretation (see, Identifying the meanings hidden in legal texts: The three conditions of Relevance Theory and their sufficiency. 2016. Semiotica 209: 99-123).

 

Recently, I considered the prospects of an UNASSISTED GENERIC MACHINE TRANSLATION SYSTEM in light of a new theoretical development enabling clear definition of the knowledge, in particular the extra linguistic knowledge, necessary for translation of any given text. The system is based on the theoretical result, I presented and exemplified in the aforementioned article. This system offers solutions to the major problems of Machine Translation.