Method and apparatus for generating sentences from conceptual structures

• US 5,317,510 A
• Filed: 03/16/1992
• Issued: 05/31/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshimura, Yumiko, Asahioka, Yoshimi, Hirakawa, Hideki, Kimura, Mariko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Application Number:
  US07/851,123
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 364/419, 395/100, 395/149
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/56 Natural language generation

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for generating sentences capable of generating more natural and easily comprehensible sentences by incorporating the selection of an appropriate choice for the form of expression or the order of words from a number of possible candidates in a process of sentence construction. In the apparatus, conceptual structures to be utilized as elements of sentences to be generated are stored; rules to be followed in generating sentences are stored; and sentences are generated from the stored conceptual structures in accordance with the stored rules by utilizing sizes of partial structures of the conceptual structures specified by the stored rules to determine a sentence structure of the sentence to be generated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating sentences, comprising:

conceptual structure storage means for storing conceptual structures to be utilized as elements of sentences to be generated;

rule storage means for storing rules to be followed in generating sentences; and

sentence generation means for generating sentences from the conceptual structures stored in the conceptual structure storage means in accordance with the rules stored in the rule storage means by utilizing sizes of partial structures of the conceptual structures specified by the rules stored in the rule storage means to determine a sentence structure of each sentence to be generated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of nodes contained in the partial structures.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of words contained in the partial structures.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of letters contained in the partial structures.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of syllables contained in the partial structures.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of stressed syllables contained in the partial structures.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of phonemes contained in the partial structures.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sentence structure to be determined is an appropriate form of expression for the sentence to be generated.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the rules stored in the rule storage means includes rules for individual concept, each rule being specifying condition of applicability and actions to be prosecuted on the conceptual structures, and wherein the sentence generation means generates each sentence, on a basis of the conceptual structure relevant to the sentence to be generated stored in the conceptual structure storage means, by taking the rules for individual concept involved in this conceptual structure from the rule storage means, finding one of the rules for which this conceptual structure satisfies the condition of applicability by determining the size of the partial structure specified in the rule and checking the condition of applicability specified in the rule, and applying this rule to this conceptual structure so as to desirably modify this conceptual structure by prosecuting the actions specified by this rule.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sentence structure to be determined is an appropriate order of words for the sentence to be generated.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the rules stored in the rule storage means includes rules for sentence structure construction specifying an order in which words of the conceptual structures are to be arranged, and wherein the sentence generation means generates each sentence, on a basis of the conceptual structure relevant to the sentence to be generated stored in the conceptual structure storage means, by taking the rules for sentence structure construction from the rule storage means, and applying these rules to this conceptual structure so as to desirably order the words of this modified conceptual structure.

12. A method of generating sentences, comprising the steps of:

storing conceptual structures to be utilized as elements of sentences to be generated;

storing rules to be followed in generating sentences; and

generating sentences from the stored conceptual structures in accordance with the stored rules by utilizing sizes of partial structures of the conceptual structures specified by the stored rules to determine a sentence structure of each sentence to be generated.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of nodes contained in the partial structures.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of words contained in the partial structures.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of letters contained in the partial structures.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of syllables contained in the partial structures.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of stressed syllables contained in the partial structures.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the sizes of partial structures are given in terms of numbers of phonemes contained in the partial structures.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the sentence structure to be determined is an appropriate form of expression for the sentence to be generated.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the stored rules includes rules for individual concept, each rule being specifying condition of applicability and actions to be prosecuted on the conceptual structures, and wherein each sentence is generated, on a basis of the stored conceptual structure relevant to the sentence to be generated, by taking the rules for individual concept involved in this conceptual structure, finding one of the rules for which this conceptual structure satisfies the condition of applicability by determining the size of the partial structure specified in the rule and checking the condition of applicability specified in the rule, and applying this rule to this conceptual structure so as to desirably modify this conceptual structure by prosecuting the actions specified by this rule.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the sentence structure to be determined is an appropriate order of words for the sentence to be generated.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the stored rules includes rules for sentence structure construction specifying an order in which words of the conceptual structures are to be arranged, and wherein each sentence is generated, on a basis of the stored conceptual structure relevant to the sentence to be generated, by taking the rules for sentence structure construction, and applying these rules to this conceptual structure so as to desirably order the words of this conceptual structure.