Author Biography
Dr. Lytle received his MA and PhD degrees from Brigham Young University and the University of Illinois, respectively, specializing in languages and linguistic theory. Work conducted in the area of structural derivation in Russian' (his dissertation topic) led him to develop junction grammar, ' a model of language which challenged the incumbent paradigm (transformational grammar'). Owing to the ability of the model to provide plausible representations for many linguistic structures not formerly understood, it quickly became the vehicle for novel approaches to problems in Natural Language Processing, including machine translation and computerized evaluation of written products. During the 1970's, junction grammar served as the basis for successful experiments in language pedagogy at the LDS Language Training Mission of Provo, Utah, and in the Nebo and Cache Valley school districts of northern Utah. A third application of the model was made abroad by the International Linguistics Foundation of Sau Paulo, Brazil, a commercial enterprise specializing in English instruction for foreigners. In subsequent work during the 1980s, Dr. Lytle utilized junction grammar as a frame of reference for WordMAP, the first computer software writing-aids ensemble designed specifically for linguistic testing and sublanguage analysis. In conjunction with this endeavor, Dr. Lytle designed and coded JGPL (a linguistic pattern matching language) and LEX, a lexical decomposition language. Subsequently, Dr. Lytle joined forces with The Educational Testing Service (ETS) of Princeton, N.J. to successfully simulate the holistic scoring of English papers using his WordMAP software. Dr. Lytle was founder and director of BYU's Translation Sciences Institute during his tenure there (1968-1980) and subsequently co-founder of Automated Language Processing Systems (ALPS) of Provo, Utah. Dr. Lytle is currently the principal owner of Linguistic Technologies, Inc., a Nevada corporation specializing in the refinement of linguistic theory and pioneering novel approaches to Natural Language Processing deriving from theoretical innovation. Dr. Lytle has served as a consultant for diverse commercial enterprises. He is presently assisting Perfect Search Corporation of Provo, Utah and its endeavor to both accelerate and improve the accuracy of internet search.
