A polynomial time algorithm for the Lambek calculus with brackets of bounded order

Lambek calculus is a logical foundation of categorial grammar, a linguistic paradigm of grammar as logic and parsing as deduction. Pentus (2010) gave a polynomial-time algorithm for determ- ining provability of bounded depth formulas in the Lambek calculus with empty antecedents allowed. Pentus' algorithm is based on tabularisation of proof nets. Lambek calculus with brackets is a conservative extension of Lambek calculus with bracket modalities, suitable for the modeling of syntactical domains. In this paper we give an algorithm for provability the Lambek calculus with brackets allowing empty antecedents. Our algorithm runs in polynomial time when both the formula depth and the bracket nesting depth are bounded. It combines a Pentus-style tabularisation of proof nets with an automata-theoretic treatment of bracketing.

Undecidability of the Lambek calculus with subexponential and bracket modalities

The Lambek calculus is a well-known logical formalism for modelling natural language syntax. The original calculus covered a substantial number of intricate natural language phenomena, but only those restricted to the context-free setting. In order to address more subtle linguistic issues, the Lambek calculus has been extended in various ways. In particular, Morrill and Valentin (2015) introduce an extension with so-called exponential and bracket modalities. Their extension is based on a non-standard contraction rule for the exponential that interacts with the bracket structure in an intricate way. The standard contraction rule is not admissible in this calculus. In this paper we prove undecidability of the derivability problem in their calculus. We also investigate restricted decidable fragments considered by Morrill and Valentin and we show that these fragments belong to the NP class.

Reconciling Lambek's restriction, cut-elimination, and substitution in the presence of exponential modalities

The Lambek calculus can be considered as a version of non-commutative intuitionistic linear logic. One of the interesting features of the Lambek calculus is the so-called "Lambek's restriction," that is, the antecedent of any provable sequent should be non-empty. In this paper we discuss ways of extending the Lambek calculus with the linear logic exponential modality while keeping Lambek's restriction. Interestingly enough, we show that for any system equipped with a reasonable exponential modality the following holds: if the system enjoys cut elimination and substitution to the full extent, then the system necessarily violates Lambek's restriction. Nevertheless, we show that two of the three conditions can be implemented. Namely, we design a system with Lambek's restriction and cut elimination and another system with Lambek's restriction and substitution. For both calculi we prove that they are undecidable, even if we take only one of the two divisions provided by the Lambek calculus. The system with cut elimination and substitution and without Lambek's restriction is folklore and known to be undecidable.

Undecidability of the Lambek calculus with a relevant modality

Morrill and Valentin in the paper "Computational coverage of TLG: Nonlinearity" considered an extension of the Lambek calculus enriched by a so-called "exponential" modality. This modality behaves in the "relevant" style, that is, it allows contraction and permutation, but not weakening. Morrill and Valentin stated an open problem whether this system is decidable. Here we show its undecidability. Our result remains valid if we consider the fragment where all division operations have one direction. We also show that the derivability problem in a restricted case, where the modality can be applied only to variables (primitive types), is decidable and belongs to the NP class.