University Centre

The aim of this paper is to present how a user−centred lexical representation model, based on the theory of Interpretative Semantics, can be used for detecting and interpreting metaphors in domain specific corpora. We present here several tools useful for such tasks and discussing the results of an experiment. Introduction In this paper, we present NLP (Natural Language Processing) project addressing the interpretation process. This project, called "ISOMETA1", focuses on computer−assisted metaphor interpretation following a user−centred point of view. We propose a model for lexical representation as well as tools for validation on corpora. In the first section, we give an overview of some previous approaches related to metaphor detection and interpretation in order to highlight the main concepts we deal with. We also introduce the theoretical background for knowledge representation and text interpretation sustaining our approach. In the second section, we argue for user−centred lexical representations and we present our model for this purpose (called Anadia) as well as practical examples. This model enables automatic computing of customized help for interpretation by means of the isotopy concept. We detail how to produce such help when dealing with conventional metaphors. In the third section, we present some of the tools implementing our main propositions. AnadiaBuilder is a user−friendly interface to build structured lexical representations. Complementary tools have been developed for corpus analysis, producing graphical representations for easy browsing through the results and customized help for interpretation. In the last section, we present the results of an experiment on a domain−specific corpus. We study examples of a specific conventional metaphor: the stock market domain expressed with meteorological terms. Finally, we discuss how to carry out an evaluation of our work. We also propose other applications of our model and tools. We conclude by pointing the main directions for further developments and the next steps for the "ISOMETA" project.