Method for generating natural language in computer-based dialog systems

• US 20030212545A1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sail Labs Technology AG
• Original Assignee: Sail Labs Technology AG
• Inventors: Kallulli, Dalina
• Granted Patent: US 7,167,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1815 Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning

Abstract

The invention relates to a Method for generating natural language in computer-based dialog systems. This method uses—in contrast to known declarative approaches—a highly controllable procedural approach, comprising the following steps:

1: generating an input tree from an input file which comprises a sequence of simple semantic representation language (SSRL) statements;

2: inserting elementary syntactic information into the tree;

3: applying elementary operations such as sub-tree insertion and manipulation;

4: accessing lexical and/or language specific information;

5: generating syntactic structures oriented towards normalised interface structures from the structured deep syntactic input tree;

6: realizing and expanding structure types by inserting and/or transforming of pre-defined structures, inserting determiners and ordering sub-structures.

7: generating morphologic transformations;

8: optionally, carrying out final refinements, comprising phonetic refinement, pretty print and/or cleaning operations of the tree and the node decorations;

9: outputting a graphic and/or textual representation of the final tree structure.

Claims

1. A Method for generating natural language in computer-based dialog systems, characterized by a highly controllable procedural approach, comprising the following steps:

Step 1;

generating an input tree with semantic-pragmatic deep structure from an input file received from a strategic component of the dialog system, wherein the input file comprises a sequence of simple semantic representation language (SSRL) statements;

Step 2;

inserting elementary syntactic information into the tree structure and onto the tree nodes;

Step 3;

applying elementary operations such as sub-tree insertion and manipulation, for instance, identification of COORDINATIONS, ATTRIBUTES and RELATIONS;

Step 4;

accessing lexical and/or language specific information to the tree;

Step 5;

generating syntactic structures oriented towards normalised interface structures from the structured deep syntactic input tree;

Step 6;

realizing and expanding structure types by inserting and/or transforming of pre-defined structures, inserting determiners, and/or ordering of sub-structures.

Step 7;

generating morphologic transformations;

Step 8;

optionally, carrying out final refinements, comprising phonetic refinement, pretty print and/or cleaning operations of the tree and the node decorations;

Step 9;

outputting a graphic representation of the final tree structure and/or a text string thereof.

2. A Method according to claim 1, wherein each statement of the respective SSRL-sequence is evaluated and the results of said evaluations are represented in a flat semantic-pragmatic tree.

3. A Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein accessing lexical and/or specific information comprises application of multilingual facilities.

4. A Method according any of claims 1 to 3, wherein Step 4 comprises replacing notions/concepts supplied by said strategic component of the dialog system by canonical forms of said notions/concepts via lexical access.

5. A Method according any of claims 1 to 4, wherein Step 5 evaluates gapping phenomena and insertions as language specific parts as well as the ordering of sub-clausal structures.

6. Computer program product, which is directly loadable into an internal program memory of a digital computer, comprising software code portions, wherein the method for generating natural language in computer-based dialog systems according to any of claims 1 to 5 is processed within the computer when the computer product is running on the computer.

7. Computer program product according to cliam 6, wherein the computer program product is stored on a computer readable medium.