Computation of Language: An Essay on Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics in Natural Man-Machine Communication : Springer : 9783642745669 : 3642745660 : 23 Aug 2014 : The study of linguistics has been forever changed by the advent of the computer. Not only does the machine permit the processing of enormous quantities of text­ thereby securing a better empirical foundation for conclusions-but also, since it is a modelling device, the machine allows the implementation of theories of grammar and other kinds of language processing. Models can have very unexpected properties­ both good and bad-and it is only through extensive tests that the value of a model can be properly assessed. The computer revolution has been going on for many years, and its importance for linguistics was recognized early on, but the more recent spread of personal workstations has made it a reality that can no longer be ignored by anyone in the subject. The present essay, in particular, could never have been written witho