Correcting incomplete negation errors in French language text

• US 20020133331A1
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kharrat, Alma
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/211 Syntactic parsing, e.g. based on context-free grammar [CFG] or unification grammars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/253 Grammatical analysis; Style critique

Abstract

A computer-implemented grammar checker for French language text corrects negation errors (missing particle “ne/n'"'"'”) in French language text. A parser generates a syntax record of a verbal phrase of the text. The syntax record includes records of words in the verbal phrase, lexicon information for the words, and syntax attributes for the words. The grammar checker searches the syntax record for a missing particle “ne/n'"'"'”. If the particle “ne/n'"'"'” is not found, the grammar checker calculates a syntactically correct insertion point for the particle “ne/n'"'"'”. The grammar checker displays to the user a rewrite of a correct form of the particle “ne/n'"'"'” at the insertion point.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of correcting negation errors in a French language text, comprising:

generating a syntax record of a verbal phrase of the text, the syntax record including records of words in the verbal phrase, lexicon information for the words, and syntax attributes for the words;

searching the syntax record for a missing particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

;

if the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

is not found, calculating a syntactically correct insertion point for the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

; and

displaying to the user a rewrite of a correct form of the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

at the insertion point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the syntax record is generated by parsing.

3. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

identifying part of the verbal phrase that precedes a main verb indicated in the syntax record, and copying the identified part of the verbal phrase to a first record.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the insertion point in a simple declarative phrase is calculated by:

testing the syntax record for each word in the first record to determine if it is a non-subject pronoun;

testing the syntax record for each word in the first record to determine if it is a subject pronoun; and

moving the portion of the first record that is after any subject pronoun and includes any non-subject pronouns to a second record to place the insertion point between the end of the first record and the start of the second record.

5. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

undoing elision before the insertion point.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the correct form of the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

is determined by;

testing the verbal phrase immediately following the insertion point for an initial vowel or a silent “

h”

;

if a vowel or silent “

h”

is found, concatenating the particle “

n'"'"'”

at the insertion point; and

if a vowel or silent “

h”

is not found, concatenating the particle “

ne”

at the insertion point.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting of uppercase/lower case letters in the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the searching of the syntax record for a missing particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

comprises;

searching the syntax record for a negation word;

testing a syntax attribute of the negation word to determine if the syntax attribute of the negation word indicates negation; and

if the syntax record of the negation word indicates negation, searching the syntax record for the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

.

9. A computer system configured to correct negation errors in a French language text, comprising:

a parser adapted to receive a verbal phrase of the text and providing a syntax record including records of words in the verbal phrase, lexicon information for the words, and syntax attributes for the words;

a search module adapted to provide an indication that the syntax record is missing a particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

;

a calculation module that provides a syntactically correct insertion point for the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

if the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

is not found by the search module; and

a display module that provides a display of a rewrite of a correct form of the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

at the insertion point.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising:

a phrase divider that provides a copy of a portion of the phrase that precedes the main verb to a first record.

11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the calculation module includes:

a first test module that finds words in the first record that are non-subject pronouns;

a second test module that finds words in the first record that are subject pronouns; and

an insertion point module that generates an insertion point after any subject pronoun and before any non-subject pronoun.

12. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising:

an undoing module that undoes elision before the insertion point.

13. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the correct form of the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

is determined by;

testing the verbal phrase immediately following the insertion point for an initial vowel or a silent “

h”

;

if a vowel or silent “

h”

is found, concatenating the particle “

n'"'"'”

at the insertion point; and

if a vowel or silent “

h”

is not found, concatenating the particle “

ne”

at the insertion point.

14. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising:

adjusting of uppercase/lower case letters in the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

.

15. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the searching of the syntax record for a missing particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

comprises;

searching the syntax record for a negation word;

testing a syntax attribute of the negation word to determine if the syntax attribute of the negation word indicates negation; and

if the syntax record of the negation word indicates negation, searching the syntax record for the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

.

16. A system configured to correct negation errors in a French language text, comprising:

means for providing a computer system; and

means for detecting and correcting a negation error in a French language phrase.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions, the plurality of sequences of instructions including sequences which, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform the steps of:

generating a syntax record of a verbal phrase of the text, the syntax record including records of words in the verbal phrase, lexicon information for the words, and syntax attributes for the words;

searching the syntax record for a missing particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

;

if the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

is not found, calculating a syntactically correct insertion point for the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

; and

displaying to the user a rewrite of a correct form of the particle “

ne/n'"'"'”

at the insertion point.