Integrating Knowledge Sources in Language Comprehension

Multiple types of knowledge (syntax, semantics, pragmatics, etc.) contribute to establishing the meaning of an utterance. Immediate application of these knowledge sources is necessary to satisfy the real-time constraintof 200 to 300words per minute for adult comprehension, since delaying the use of a knowledge source introduces computational inefficiencies in the form of overgeneration. On the other hand, ensuring that all relevant knowledge is brought to bear as each word in the sentence is understood is a difficult design problem. As a solution to this problem, we present NLSoar, a language comprehension system that integrates disparate knowledge sources automatically. Through experience, the nature of the understanding process changes from deliberate, sequential problem solving to recognitional comprehension that applies all the relevant knowledge sources simultaneously to each word. The dynamic character of the system results directly from its implementation within the Soar architecture.