Computational Interpretations of the Gricean Maxims in the Generation of Referring Expressions
Year: 1995
Type: preprint
Abstract: We examine the problem of generating definite noun phrases that are appropriate referring expressions; i.e, noun phrases that (1) successfully identify the intended referent to the hearer whilst (2) not conveying to her any false conversational implicatures (Grice, 1975). We review several possible computational interpretations of the conversational implicature maxims, with different computational costs, and argue that the simplest may be the best, because it seems to be closest to what human speakers do. We describe our recommended algorithm in detail, along with a specification of the resources a host system must provide in order to make use of the algorithm, and an implementation used in the natural language generation component of the IDAS system. This paper will appear in the the April--June 1995 issue of Cognitive Science, and is made available on cmp-lg with the permission of Ablex, the publishers of that journal.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Dale, Robert, Reiter, Ehud
Institution: Microsoft (United States)
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4298302261