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1. Verfasser: Yang, Xiulin
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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Online-Zugang:https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.02116
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author Yang, Xiulin
author_facet Yang, Xiulin
contents This paper explores whether language models can effectively resolve the complex binding patterns of the Mandarin Chinese reflexive ziji, which are constrained by both syntactic and semantic factors. We construct a dataset of 240 synthetic sentences using templates and examples from syntactic literature, along with 320 natural sentences from the BCC corpus. Evaluating 21 language models against this dataset and comparing their performance to judgments from native Mandarin speakers, we find that none of the models consistently replicates human-like judgments. The results indicate that existing language models tend to rely heavily on sequential cues, though not always favoring the closest strings, and often overlooking subtle semantic and syntactic constraints. They tend to be more sensitive to noun-related than verb-related semantics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_02116
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Language Models at the Syntax-Semantics Interface: A Case Study of the Long-Distance Binding of Chinese Reflexive ziji
Yang, Xiulin
Computation and Language
This paper explores whether language models can effectively resolve the complex binding patterns of the Mandarin Chinese reflexive ziji, which are constrained by both syntactic and semantic factors. We construct a dataset of 240 synthetic sentences using templates and examples from syntactic literature, along with 320 natural sentences from the BCC corpus. Evaluating 21 language models against this dataset and comparing their performance to judgments from native Mandarin speakers, we find that none of the models consistently replicates human-like judgments. The results indicate that existing language models tend to rely heavily on sequential cues, though not always favoring the closest strings, and often overlooking subtle semantic and syntactic constraints. They tend to be more sensitive to noun-related than verb-related semantics.
title Language Models at the Syntax-Semantics Interface: A Case Study of the Long-Distance Binding of Chinese Reflexive ziji
topic Computation and Language
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.02116