The Representation of Noun Phrases In Logical Form
Mary P. Harper · 1989
In this paper, logical form representations forpronouns, singular definite noun phrases (NPs), and singular indefinite NPs are developed. These representations allow decisions about he precise meaning of a sentence to be postponed until the required information becomes available. Three computational constraints for this logical form are proposed: compactness, modularity, and formal consistency. Initially, NPs are represented using a composite representation for all allowable meanings, conforming with the compactness constraint. This representation is provided using only syntactic and sentence l vel information, consistent with the modularity constraint. When an ambiguity can be resolved, the precise behavior is specified in a way compatible with the initial representation, conforming with the formal consistency constraint. The scope of this approach is demonstrated byusing a wide variety of examples, and a computer implementation is described. Related approaches are also discussed. 1.