Predication Graphs as Canonical Representation of Query Sentences

This paper surveys problems encountered in studying the logico-semantic form and discourse problems of Finnish query sentences. W e ca ll the logico-semantic form a predication graph. The basic framework we use to represent the logica l form of Finnish query sentences is an annotated logical tree transformed from the dependency parse tree using graph transformations of the AWARE-system. Examples of analysing e l l i p t i c and anaphoric expressions are given. Finally, some c r it ic a l points of computational semantics are discussed. 1 CANONICAL STRUCTURE One of the main objectives of the logico-semantic level is to give those utterances that d iffe r only syntactically a uniform representation. This representation is a predication structure with predicates and their arguments. For example, the expressions "v a ltio t, iotka tuottavat laivoja" (countries that produce vessels) and "laivola tuottavat v a ltiot" (countries producing vessels) would lead into a single logico-semantic form something like as follow s: PRODUCE C O U NT RY PL VESSEL PL The arguments are kind of typed variables. The expression could also be stated: produce(X,Y) and country(X) and vessel(Y). An argument may further be another predication.