4,736 research outputs found
Robust Parsing of Spoken Dialogue Using Contextual Knowledge and Recognition Probabilities
In this paper we describe the linguistic processor of a spoken dialogue
system. The parser receives a word graph from the recognition module as its
input. Its task is to find the best path through the graph. If no complete
solution can be found, a robust mechanism for selecting multiple partial
results is applied. We show how the information content rate of the results can
be improved if the selection is based on an integrated quality score combining
word recognition scores and context-dependent semantic predictions. Results of
parsing word graphs with and without predictions are reported.Comment: 4 pages, LaTex source, 3 PostScript figures, uses epsf.sty and
ETRW.sty, to appear in Proceedings of ESCA Workshop on Spoken Dialogue
Systems, Denmark, May 30-June
SCREEN: Learning a Flat Syntactic and Semantic Spoken Language Analysis Using Artificial Neural Networks
In this paper, we describe a so-called screening approach for learning robust
processing of spontaneously spoken language. A screening approach is a flat
analysis which uses shallow sequences of category representations for analyzing
an utterance at various syntactic, semantic and dialog levels. Rather than
using a deeply structured symbolic analysis, we use a flat connectionist
analysis. This screening approach aims at supporting speech and language
processing by using (1) data-driven learning and (2) robustness of
connectionist networks. In order to test this approach, we have developed the
SCREEN system which is based on this new robust, learned and flat analysis.
In this paper, we focus on a detailed description of SCREEN's architecture,
the flat syntactic and semantic analysis, the interaction with a speech
recognizer, and a detailed evaluation analysis of the robustness under the
influence of noisy or incomplete input. The main result of this paper is that
flat representations allow more robust processing of spontaneous spoken
language than deeply structured representations. In particular, we show how the
fault-tolerance and learning capability of connectionist networks can support a
flat analysis for providing more robust spoken-language processing within an
overall hybrid symbolic/connectionist framework.Comment: 51 pages, Postscript. To be published in Journal of Artificial
Intelligence Research 6(1), 199
From chunks to function-argument structure : a similarity-based approach
Chunk parsing has focused on the recognition of partial constituent structures at the level of individual chunks. Little attention has been paid to the question of how such partial analyses can be combined into larger structures for complete utterances. Such larger structures are not only desirable for a deeper syntactic analysis. They also constitute a necessary prerequisite for assigning function-argument structure. The present paper offers a similaritybased algorithm for assigning functional labels such as subject, object, head, complement, etc. to complete syntactic structures on the basis of prechunked input. The evaluation of the algorithm has concentrated on measuring the quality of functional labels. It was performed on a German and an English treebank using two different annotation schemes at the level of function argument structure. The results of 89.73% correct functional labels for German and 90.40%for English validate the general approach
Automatic acquisition of LFG resources for German - as good as it gets
We present data-driven methods for the acquisition of LFG resources from two German treebanks. We discuss problems specific to semi-free word order languages as well as problems arising fromthe data structures determined
by the design of the different treebanks. We compare two ways of encoding semi-free word order, as done in the two German treebanks, and argue that the design of the TiGer treebank is more adequate for the acquisition of LFG
resources. Furthermore, we describe an architecture for LFG grammar acquisition for German, based on the two German treebanks, and compare our results with a hand-crafted German LFG grammar
Mixing and blending syntactic and semantic dependencies
Our system for the CoNLL 2008 shared
task uses a set of individual parsers, a set of
stand-alone semantic role labellers, and a
joint system for parsing and semantic role
labelling, all blended together. The system
achieved a macro averaged labelled F1-
score of 79.79 (WSJ 80.92, Brown 70.49)
for the overall task. The labelled attachment
score for syntactic dependencies was
86.63 (WSJ 87.36, Brown 80.77) and the
labelled F1-score for semantic dependencies
was 72.94 (WSJ 74.47, Brown 60.18)
An Efficient Implementation of the Head-Corner Parser
This paper describes an efficient and robust implementation of a
bi-directional, head-driven parser for constraint-based grammars. This parser
is developed for the OVIS system: a Dutch spoken dialogue system in which
information about public transport can be obtained by telephone.
After a review of the motivation for head-driven parsing strategies, and
head-corner parsing in particular, a non-deterministic version of the
head-corner parser is presented. A memoization technique is applied to obtain a
fast parser. A goal-weakening technique is introduced which greatly improves
average case efficiency, both in terms of speed and space requirements.
I argue in favor of such a memoization strategy with goal-weakening in
comparison with ordinary chart-parsers because such a strategy can be applied
selectively and therefore enormously reduces the space requirements of the
parser, while no practical loss in time-efficiency is observed. On the
contrary, experiments are described in which head-corner and left-corner
parsers implemented with selective memoization and goal weakening outperform
`standard' chart parsers. The experiments include the grammar of the OVIS
system and the Alvey NL Tools grammar.
Head-corner parsing is a mix of bottom-up and top-down processing. Certain
approaches towards robust parsing require purely bottom-up processing.
Therefore, it seems that head-corner parsing is unsuitable for such robust
parsing techniques. However, it is shown how underspecification (which arises
very naturally in a logic programming environment) can be used in the
head-corner parser to allow such robust parsing techniques. A particular robust
parsing model is described which is implemented in OVIS.Comment: 31 pages, uses cl.st
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