Method and device for parsing and analyzing natural language sentences and text

• US 5,721,938 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 02/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Barbara K. Stuckey
• Original Assignee: Barbara K. Stuckey
• Inventors: Stuckey, Barbara K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US08/487,263
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 395/752, 395/754, 395/755, 395/758, 395/759
• US Class Current: 704/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/211 Syntactic parsing, e.g. based on context-free grammar [CFG] or unification grammars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/268 Morphological analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

A program is provided for organizing a natural language, such as English, into binary units of two basic elements, Nounness and Verbness, which combine in two idea word patterns, called Primary Image and Conditional Image, and two Detail word patterns, called Process Detail and Background Detail. These two basic elements, Nounness and Verbness, function binarily within the program, either in combination for the two Image word patterns or separately for the two Detail word patterns. All word terns, except the verb-in-tense in the two Image word patterns, function binarily within the program in one of two positions: as Nounness, called Nesting, or as modifiers, called Qualifying. Since meaning in an English sentence is determined solely by word and word pattern location, binary units can be created which allow meaning to be changed by moving words or word patterns from one location to another, called Flipping. Natural language, thus organized into binary units, can be thus analyzed in computer programs for purposes such as, but not limited to, natural language processing which is not restricted to limited language domains, voice activation, machine translation from one natural language to another, context analysis of documents, data base searching, syntax analysis of documents, and the teaching of writing in natural language.

Claims

1. A method for context-based parsing of natural language text, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a stream of alphanumeric data representing a plurality of words delimited by a punctuation mark;

associating a semantic label with each of said plurality of words by using a look-up table to identify one or more potential semantic labels for a word, and selecting one of said potential semantic labels based on an order of said word within said plurality of words; and

assigning each of said plurality of words to one of two binary context patterns based on said semantic label associated therewith and an order of said word with respect to one or more others of said plurality of words.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said semantic labels is selected from a group consisting of a function of nounness, a function of verbness, and a qualifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said two binary context patterns comprise an image context pattern and a detail context pattern.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of said two binary context patterns includes two binary context sub-patterns, respectively comprising a primary image context pattern, a conditional image context pattern, a process detail context pattern, and a background detail context pattern, said assignment step further comprising assigning each of said plurality of words to one of said binary context sub-patterns.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said assignment step further comprises identifying a primary image upon detection of a word associated with a verbness semantic label in proximity to a word associated with a nounness semantic label.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said assignment step further comprises searching said plurality of words for a predetermined trigger word associated with a binary context pattern.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said predetermined trigger word is of a type selected from a group including a conditional trigger, a background trigger, an equalizing trigger, and a process detail trigger.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said assignment step further comprises comparing a contiguous portion of said plurality of words and their associated semantic labels to a formula associated with a binary context pattern, said formula comprising a plurality of semantic labels in a predetermined order.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of associating a semantic label with each of said plurality of words further comprises first identifying a potential verb in said plurality of words.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of associating a semantic label with each of said plurality of words further comprises identifying a potential noun in said plurality of words.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of associating a semantic label with each of said plurality of words further comprises identifying a potential modifier in said plurality of words.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said assignment step further comprises searching said plurality of words for two or more contiguous words associated with a like semantic label.

13. A set of instructions stored on a medium for parsing a natural language text, said set of instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a stream of alphanumeric data representing a plurality of words delimited by a punctuation mark;

associating a semantic label with each of said plurality of words by using a look-up table to identify one or more potential semantic labels for a word, and selecting one of said potential semantic labels based on an order of said word within said plurality of words; and

assigning each of said plurality of words to one of two binary context patterns based on said semantic label associated therewith and an order of said word with respect to one or more others of said plurality of words.

14. The set of instructions of claim 13, wherein said instructions for assigning said plurality of words to a binary context pattern further comprise instructions for comparing a contiguous portion of said plurality of words and their associated semantic labels to a formula associated with a context pattern, said formula comprising a plurality of semantic labels in a predetermined order.

15. An apparatus for analyzing a natural language text including a plurality of words delimited by a punctuation mark, said apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory including a look-up table with a plurality of entries, wherein each of said entries associates a semantic label with a word;

a text parser controlled to said processor and coupled to said memory, said text parser comprising a set of executable instructions for assigning a selected one of said plurality of words to a binary context pattern based on a semantic label associated with said selected word and an order of said selected word within said plurality of words.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a text reformatter coupled to said text parser, said text reformatter comprising a set of executable instructions enabling a user to alter a meaning of said plurality of words by reordering said binary context patterns.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a help system controlled by said processor, said help system including executable instructions for providing a user with guidance related to said text reformatter.