Abstract

Introduction A major task for a dialogue system is the resolution of fragments. Basic examples include bare NP answers (1), where the bare NP John is resolved as the assertion John saw Mary, and sluicing (2), where the WhP who is interpreted as the question Which student saw John. (1) (2) (3) A: Who saw Mary? B: John A: A student saw John. B. Who? Either the antecedent or the fragment (or both) may be embedded (3). 1. A: Bill wonders who saw Mary. B: John. (John saw Mary) 2. A: Bill thinks a student saw John. B: Who? (Which student does Bill think saw John?) 3. A: Who saw Mary? B: John thinks Bill. (John thinks Bill saw Mary) 4. A: A student saw John. B: Bill wonders who. (Bill wonders which student saw John) Constructing a computational framework for interpreting such fragments in a principled and systematic way is important for the development of viable grammar-driven text understanding and dialogue management systems. 2 Theoretical Background 2.1 Ellipsis Resolution:

Citations