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# A Morphological, Syntactic and Semantic Search Engine for Hebrew Texts

**Authors:** [Uzzi Ornan](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/authors/uzzi-ornan/) · **Year:** 2002 · **Venue:** Proceedings of the ACL-02 Workshop on Computational Approaches to Semitic Languages **Link:** [aclanthology.org/W02-0508](https://aclanthology.org/W02-0508/) · library `aclbulk-2002-ornan-morphological-syntactic-semantic-search-engine` · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) — summary only, never carried into a release

[**3** citations](https://openalex.org/works?filter=cites:W2008920520) openalex-snapshot · 2026-10-14[Proceedings of the ACL-02 Workshop on Computational Approaches to Semitic Languages](https://aclanthology.org/volumes/W02-05/)[licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/W02-0508/)
- [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/W02-0508.pdf)
- [DOI 10.3115/1118637.1118645](https://doi.org/10.3115/1118637.1118645)
- [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2008920520)

**Authors (1)**

1. [Ornan, Uzzi](https://openalex.org/A5016702137) h 5 · 94 citations · 27 works

Citations and author metrics from openalex-snapshot (2026-10-14); authors with the same name are not always told apart.

## What it is about

In unpointed Hebrew a string has on average about three readings, and a plain string search returns mostly wrong hits. Ornan's engine works in three stages. First the text is transliterated into a phonemic Latin script (ISO 259-3), where vowels and attached particles are explicit. A morphological analyzer then lists every reading of each string. The syntactic stage combines readings across the words of one clause, and a semantic stage checks them against a verb-centred conceptual dictionary: each verb entry lists its noun-phrase slots, their thematic roles, the semantic features and the governing prepositions, with about 10,000 verb entries and 35,000 noun entries. The author reports that about 95% of results match the query. The evaluation is described only in summary.

## Ideas

- I1. A phonemic pre-script before analysis: map each unpointed token to a vowelled, particle-split form first, so that the splits are visible and the analyzer sees one reading per string. In `tools/hbo` this would sit between tokens and the segmenter, and it would make the `pre` and `lex` tables easier to audit.
- I2. Verb case frames as constraints: for each verb, list the required argument slots with their prepositions and feature constraints, and use them to filter the parses that `gparse` proposes. The paper's entries (for instance a verb of riding that takes a preposition for the animal, another for the goal, and another for the source) show the format.
- I3. A counting test: the paper's example sentence gives 2×3×8×3 = 144 candidate combinations before syntactic filtering. Run the same count on the `tools/hbo` readings of a fixed sentence, before and after the filter, as a measure of how much the filter removes.

## For Mova

I1 goes into `tools/hbo` and [1. Script and pointing](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/01-script/). I2 goes into [Syntax: the clause and the sentence](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/08-syntax/), with the frames in [The lexicon](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/10-lexicon/). I3 is a test set for `tools/hbo`.

## Cite

The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. [DOI 10.3115/1118637.1118645](https://doi.org/10.3115/1118637.1118645)

```
@inproceedings{ornan2002morphological,
  title = {{A Morphological, Syntactic and Semantic Search Engine for Hebrew Texts}},
  author = {Ornan, Uzzi},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the ACL-02 Workshop on Computational Approaches to Semitic Languages},
  year = {2002},
  doi = {10.3115/1118637.1118645},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3115/1118637.1118645}
}
```

- [← previous An HMM Approach to Vowel Restoration in Arabic and Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/aclbulk-2002-gal-hmm-approach-vowel-restoration-arabic/)
- [next → Learning Hebrew Roots: Machine Learning with Linguistic Constraints](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/aclbulk-2004-daya-learning-hebrew-roots-machine-learning/)
- [↑ back to Ancient Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo/)

## References

23 references, 1 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Bentor,E., A.Angel, D.Ben-Ari-Segev and A.Lavie. 1992. Computerized Analysis of Hebrew Words in Hebrew Computational Linguistics, ed. by U. Ornan, G.Arieli and E.Doron, Ministry of Science and Technology, pages 36-38.(Hebrew). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Bentor%2CE%2E%2C+A%2EAngel%2C+D%2EBen%2DAri%2DSegev+and+A%2ELavie%2E+1992%2E+Computerized+Analysis+of+Hebrew+Words+in+Hebrew+Computational+Linguistics%2C+ed%2E+by+U%2E+Ornan%2C+G%2EArieli+and+E%2EDoron%2C+Ministry+of+Science+and+Technol)
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3. Chomsky, N. 1965. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. MIT Press. [↗](https://doi.org/10.21236/ad0616323)
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5. Choueka Yaacov.1990. Responsa: An Operational Full-Text Retrieval System. In Computers in Literary and Linguistic Research. edited by J .Hamesse and A. Zampoli. Champion-Slatkine Paris-Geneve . Pages 94-102 [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Choueka+Yaacov%2E1990%2E+Responsa%3A+An+Operational+Full%2DText+Retrieval+System%2E+In+Computers+in+Literary+and+Linguistic+Research%2E+edited+by+J+%2EHamesse+and+A%2E+Zampoli%2E+Champion%2DSlatkine+Paris%2DGeneve+%2E+Pages+)
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7. Fillmore,C.C.1968. The Case for Case. In Universals in Linguistic Theory . Edited By E.Bach and R.Harmes. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, Academic Press. Pages 59-81. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Fillmore%2CC%2EC%2E1968%2E+The+Case+for+Case%2E+In+Universals+in+Linguistic+Theory+%2E+Edited+By+E%2EBach+and+R%2EHarmes%2E+Holt%2C+Rinehart+and+Winston%2C+New+York%2C+Academic+Press%2E+Pages+59%2D81%2E)
8. Herz,Y. and M.Rimon.1992. Diminishing Ambiguity by Short-Context Automaton. In Hebrew Computational Linguistics . Edited by U. Ornan, G.Arieli and E. Doron. Ministry of Science and Technology. Pages 74-87.(Hebrew). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Herz%2CY%2E+and+M%2ERimon%2E1992%2E+Diminishing+Ambiguity+by+Short%2DContext+Automaton%2E+In+Hebrew+Computational+Linguistics+%2E+Edited+by+U%2E+Ornan%2C+G%2EArieli+and+E%2E+Doron%2E+Ministry+of+Science+and+Technology%2E+Pages+7)
9. Ide, Nancy and Jean Véronis.1998. Introduction to the Special Issue on Word Sense Disambiguation: The State of the Art. Compuational Linguistics 24:140 . [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Ide%2C+Nancy+and+Jean+V%C3%A9ronis%2E1998%2E+Introduction+to+the+Special+Issue+on+Word+Sense+Disambiguation%3A+The+State+of+the+Art%2E+Compuational+Linguistics+24%3A1%1040+%2E)
10. ISO 259-3.1999 .Conversion of Hebrew Characters Into Latin Characters. Part 3: Phonemic Conversion. ISO/TC46/SC2. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=ISO+259%2D3%2E1999+%2EConversion+of+Hebrew+Characters+Into+Latin+Characters%2E+Part+3%3A+Phonemic+Conversion%2E+ISO%2FTC46%2FSC2%2E)
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12. Levinger,Moshe, Uzzi Ornan and Itai Alon. 1995. Learning Morpho-Lexical Probabilities from an Untagged Corpus with an Application to Hebrew. Computational Linguistics 21:383404 . [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Levinger%2CMoshe%2C+Uzzi+Ornan+and+Itai+Alon%2E+1995%2E+Learning+Morpho%2DLexical+Probabilities+from+an+Untagged+Corpus+with+an+Application+to+Hebrew%2E+Computational+Linguistics+21%3A383%10404+%2E) [our card](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/cl-1995-levinger-learning-morpho-lexical-probabilities-untagged/)
13. Miller, George A.1993. Nouns in WordNet. Web file. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Miller%2C+George+A%2E1993%2E+Nouns+in+WordNet%2E+Web+file%2E)
14. Nirenburg, Sergei and Y. Ben Asher. 1984. HUHU :Hebrew University Hebrew Understander. Journal of Computational Linguistics Vol.9:161-182. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Nirenburg%2C+Sergei+and+Y%2E+Ben+Asher%2E+1984%2E+HUHU+%3AHebrew+University+Hebrew+Understander%2E+Journal+of+Computational+Linguistics+Vol%2E9%3A161%2D182%2E)
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23. Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1956. The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behavior to Language. In Leslie Spier (editor) Language, Culture and Reality , essays in memory of Edward Sapir.1941. Pages 75-93. Reprinted in John B. Carrol (editor) Language, Thought and Reality. M.I.T. Press. Pages 134-159 [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Whorf%2C+Benjamin+Lee%2E+1956%2E+The+Relation+of+Habitual+Thought+and+Behavior+to+Language%2E+In+Leslie+Spier+%28editor%29+Language%2C+Culture+and+Reality+%2C+essays+in+memory+of+Edward+Sapir%2E1941%2E+Pages+75%2D93%2E+Repri)