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Conceptual Dependencies PDF
Conceptual Dependencies PDF
• different words and structures represent the same concept. Mary took a book from John.
• The representation of events is separate from the words used to encode them. • basic meaning elements that underlie the words that we use.
• Event representations are governed by a set of rules that involve fitting inputs
into a predefined representation scheme. Goal: to represent meaning so that general rules can be applied, without
duplicating information.
• The rules for filling the slots of the representation are the basis of language
Theory: a small number of primitive actions can represent any sentence.
understanding.
Conceptual Primitives for Actions Five Primitives for Physical Actions
Eleven primitives can account for most actions in the physical
INGEST: to take something inside an animate object.
world:
ATRANS
ATTEND EXPEL: to take something from inside an animate
INGEST object and force it out.
EXPEL
GRASP
MBUILD GRASP: to physically grasp an object
MTRANS
MOVE
MOVE: to move a body part
PROPEL
PTRANS
SPEAK PROPEL: to apply a force to
• Direction: The location that an ACT is directed toward. R PP ACTs can have recipients.
ACT
PP
• State:The state that an object is in.
I
ACT Instruments can be conceptualizations.
States or state changes can enable conceptualizations to occur.
PP E
T
Conceptualizations can have times.
PP PP One PP is equivalent to another.
LOC ACT
Conceptualizations can have locations. ACTs can be varied along certain dimensions.
AA
Conceptual Tenses States
MENTAL STATE (range -10 to +10) Some words can be combinations of scales:
catatonic -9 shocked = SURPRISE (6)
depressed -5 DISGUST (-5)
upset -3
sad -2 calm = SURPRISE (0)
ok 0 DISGUST (0)
pleased +2 FEAR (0)
happy +5 ANGER (0)
ecstatic +10 CONSCIOUSNESS (> 0)
Some states are not scales ... Examples
... some states take absolute values
John gave Mary a book.
LENGTH p o R Mary
COLOR John ATRANS book
MASS John
SPEED
hand
Mary cried.
D
p o Y
D
Mary EXPEL tears
eyes (Mary)
Y mouth
John sold his car to Bill. John annoyed Mary.
p p
o R Bill
John ATRANS car John DO
John
r
mental state (-2)
anger (-2)
p o R John Mary
Bill ATRANS money p
mental state (> -2)
Bill anger (> -2)
p
p
o John DO
John DO fertilizer
r
r
John
p p
o D Mary o D Mary I p
John PROPEL rock John PROPEL bullet
John gun
r r PROPEL
Part (gun)
out in
John John
p
o R Mary I p
p o image D
MLOC(CP (John)) I p
John ATRANS ball John MTRANS (Mary)
John eyes (John)
PROPEL ATTEND
o o
ball eyes
D D
CP = Conceptual Processor
(where conscious thought takes place)
John
p o info D
MLOC(CP (John)) I p Clinton
John MTRANS (book) book
ATTEND MLOC (LTM (Mary))
o president
eyes
D
NOTE: seeing and reading are very similar!
The ball fell from the roof. John flew to New York.
New John
p
o D York I p
p
o Y Y John PTRANS John
D
gravity PROPEL ball Y
roof PTRANS
T1
o
LOC (below roof)
p New John
o D York
plane PROPEL plane
Y D
T2
Y plane
John gave Mary a book by handing it to her. Inference
• Inference is fundamental to language understanding.
John
• Inferences aren't always right, but they are common assumptions that often
p
o R Mary I p are right.
John ATRANS book
John • Even wrong assumptions form the basis of conversations:
MOVE
o A: John hit Mary yesterday.
B: What did Mary do to upset him?
hand
A: Nothing, they were practicing judo and his hand slipped.
D B: Was she badly hurt?
A: No, he barely grazed her.
B: I'll bet she was mad though.
A: No, she thought it was pretty funny.
Y Mary
• The name of a concept (e.g., ATRANS) is meaningless; the meaning of the John went to New York, but he didn't get there.
concept consists of the inferences that it makes. vs.
* John arrived in New York, but he didn't get there.
Inferences associated with PTRANS Inferences associated with INGEST
1. The object is located at the destination. 1. PTRANS is inferred.
2. The object is no longer at the source. 2. The object ceases to exist in its usual form.
3. If a human actor requested the action, then they will probably do whatever is 3. If the object is edible, then the actor is nourished.
normally done with the object. 4. If the object is inedible, then the actor becomes sick.
4. Doing this will cause the person to be pleased. 5. If the actor thinks the object tastes good, then the actor is pleased.
John went to New York from Texas. 1. An apple was put into John's mouth.
2. The apple ceased to exist.
1. John is in New York. 3. John was nourished.
2. John is no longer in Texas. 5. John liked eating the apple.
3. John wanted to do something in New York.
4. John thought he would enjoy being in New York. John ate poison.
4. John became sick.
• Backward inferences represent things that might have caused an ACT or state. • Canonical representation captures commonality across different words and
structures.
• Words trigger CD frames that provide predictions about what will come next.
Mary knows what Fred did -> someone told her what Fred did Identifies conceptual roles and helps disambiguation. (Also suggests how we can
(e.g., someone MTRANSed the information to her). finish other people's sentences.)
Weaknesses of CD
• Incompleteness
• no ontology (e.g., no ISA hierarchy)
• missing entire conceptual areas (e.g., objects)
• no method for handling quantification
• The Primitives
• are the primitives really atomic? (e.g., MOVE to a doctor involves may
smaller actions)
• primitives can be composed of other primitives (e.g., a PTRANS may
consist of many smaller PTRANS's).
• these are the wrong set of primitives.