An extensive overview, this paper presents a very thorough and fundamental account of controlled natural languages (CNLs).
The purpose of the proposed research is to encompass the concept of CNLs from different points of view and to create a typology to describe them. It begins with a definition of the notion of CNL and its history, and explains the main purposes and characteristics of CNLs, for example, expressiveness, precision, naturalness, and simplicity. Consequently, it outlines 99 English-based CNLs that have existed between 1930 and 2010, presenting them in a standardized manner, pointing out their domain, reason for creation, and features. Finally, it discusses whether the CNLs meet the main purpose underlying their creation, for example, to make communicating between humans more precise and more effective, to reduce the overall translation costs at a given level of quality, or to make it easier for people to use and understand logic formalisms. The author concludes that ultimately each CNL has its proper impact.
This paper provides a very thorough account, establishing an analytic framework to deal with controlled languages, based on description, justification, and references. It is a good read for linguists and scholars interested in language typology, applicability, and the creation of CNLs and sublanguages as a means of communication.