An Algorithmic Framework for Specifying the Semantics of Discourse Relations
Alistair Knott · Computational Intelligence · 2000
In this paper, a new framework is proposed for defining the semantics of discourse relations and for defining the semantics of the utterances that relations link together. The proposal is to define relations in terms of the operation of an algorithm simulating the mental state of an agent interacting with the world. The algorithm interleaves perception, theorem proving, and action: The denotation of a complex utterance containing a relation between two simpler utterances is taken to be the description of the operation of the algorithm during the time interval identified by their Reichenbachian reference times. This proposal is presented in detail for two discourse relations. Its potential application in the treatment of mood, tense, aspect, and dialogue structure is also discussed in very general terms.