                             HUMAN PARSING


                            Matthew Probert
                           Servile  Software


To be able to program a computer to understand natural language, one 
must first understand how the human mind handles data received in 
natural language. This book is not concerned with how the data reaches 
the thought machinery, be that a computer program or a brain. Rather 
this book is concerned with what happens to the data once it has got 
there. 

Human's make use of a range of parsers when trying to understand a 
phrase. First a slot-and-frame parser is used to compare the phrase 
against a small library of "common phrases". These are generally 
exclamations, including greetings (HELLO, HI, NICE TO MEET YOU) and 
dismissals (PUSH OFF, GO AWAY) but also including warnings (LOOK 
OUT!). Some questions may also be stored, (HOW ARE YOU? WHAT IS YOUR 
NAME? WOULD YOU LIKE A BEER?) as well as instructions (SHUT THE DOOR, 
DON'T DO THAT!) and so on. Phrases which fail the slot-and-frame 
parser are then passed through a more intricate combination of 
predicate parsers and component analysis. Finally, a verb and noun 
search may be carried out. Missing components will be filled in by the 
mind based upon experience both of the question and phrases previously 
received from the transmitter. In this way an individuals' poor 
grammar is more easily understood after talking with them for some 
time. For example, the rural Jamaicans use a peculiar language called 
"patoi". A favourite phrase of which is "soon come". This translates, 
into the Queen's English, as "I shall soon come to join you." 



                            ͻ
                            IS THE DATA A COMMON PHRASE?
                            ͼ
                                           
                                           
                                           
               YESNOĿ
                                                                  
                                                                  
     Ŀ                                Ŀ
     RETRIEVE STANDARD                                    PARSE PHRASE
     RESPONSE FROM LIBRARY                                
                                            :
                                                                   :
                                                                   :
                                                                   :
                                       ............................:
                                       :
                                       :    
                                Ŀ
                                PARSE PHRASE
                                
                                       
                             Ŀ
                             EXPAND APOSTROPHES
                             
                                       
                             Ŀ
                             EXTRACT COMPONENTS
                             
                                       
                              ͻ
                              IS IT A QUESTION?
                              ͼ
                                       
                                       
                  YESNOĿ
                                                          
           Ŀ                             ͻ
           DECIDE TYPE                             IS IT AN    
           OF QUESTION                             INSTRUCTION?
                                        ͼ
                                                           
                                                           
                                                 YESNOĿ
                                                                     
                                           Ŀ      Ŀ
                                           DECIDE TYPE         IT'S A   
                                           OF INSTRUCTION      STATEMENT
                                                 



Questions may be "interrogative", such as "are you married?". Or they 
may be requests. "Will you marry me?". 

Instructions encompass commands, requests, entreaties and wishes. An 
example of a command is "shut the door." A wish may be "I want to go 
to the pub!". 

Statements include exclamations. A statement might be "I went to the 
pub." Whereas an exclamation may be "I enjoyed that!" 

