To be able to program a computer to understand natural language, one must first understand how the human mind handles data received in natural language. This book is not concerned with how the data reaches the thought machinery, be that a computer program or a brain. Rather this book is concerned with what happens to the data once it has got there.
Humans make use of a range of parsers when trying to understand a phrase. First a slot-and-frame parser is used to compare the phrase against a small library of "common phrases". These are generally exclamations, including greetings (HELLO, HI, NICE TO MEET YOU) and dismissals (PUSH OFF, GO AWAY) but also including warnings (LOOK OUT!). Some questions may also be stored, (HOW ARE YOU? WHAT IS YOUR NAME? WOULD YOU LIKE A BEER?) as well as instructions (SHUT THE DOOR, DON'T DO THAT!) and so on. Phrases which fail the slot-and- frame parser are then passed through a more intricate combination of predicate parsers and component analysis. Finally, a verb and noun search may be carried out. Missing components will be filled in by the mind based upon experience both of the question and phrases previously received from the transmitter. In this way an individuals' poor grammar is more easily understood after talking with them for some time. For example, the rural Jamaicans use a peculiar language called "patoi". A favourite phrase of which is "soon come". This translates, into the Queen's English, as "I shall soon come to join you."
+----------------------------+
|IS THE DATA A COMMON PHRASE?|
+--------------|-------------+
|
|
|
+-----------YES-------------+------------NO---------+
| |
| |
+---------+-----------+ +------+-----+
|RETRIEVE STANDARD | |PARSE PHRASE|
|RESPONSE FROM LIBRARY| +------|-----+
+---------------------+ :
:
:
:
............................:
:
:
+------+-----+
|PARSE PHRASE|
+------|-----+
|
+---------+--------+
|EXPAND APOSTROPHES|
+---------|--------+
|
+---------+--------+
|EXTRACT COMPONENTS|
+---------|--------+
|
+--------+--------+
|IS IT A QUESTION?|
+--------|--------+
|
|
+---------YES--------+---------NO--------+
| |
+------+----+ +-----+------+
|DECIDE TYPE| |IS IT AN |
|OF QUESTION| |INSTRUCTION?|
+-----------+ +-----|------+
|
|
+----YES--+----NO----+
| |
+-----+--------+ +----+----+
|DECIDE TYPE | |IT'S A |
|OF INSTRUCTION| |STATEMENT|
+--------------+ +---------+
Questions may be "interrogative", such as "are you married?". Or they may be
requests. "Will you marry me?".
Instructions encompass commands, requests, entreaties and wishes. An example of a command is "shut the door." A wish may be "I want to go to the pub!".
Statements include exclamations. A statement might be "I went to the pub." Whereas an exclamation may be "I enjoyed that!"