No abstract

No abstract

The question-answering aspects of the Protosynthex III prototype language processing system are described and exemplified in detail. The sysfem is written in LISP 1.5 and operates on the Q-32 time-sharing system. The system's data structures and their semantic organization, the deductive question-answering formalism of relational properties and complex-relation-forming operators, and the question-answering procedures which employ these features in their operation are all described and illustrated. Examples of the system's performance and of the limitations of its question-answering capability are presented and discussed. It is shown that the use of semantic information in deductive question answering greatly facilitates the process, and that a top-down procedure which works from question to answer enables effective use to be made of this information, it is concluded that the development of Protosynthex 111 into a practically useful system to work with large data bases is possible but will require changes in both the data structures and the algorithms used for question answering.

BLANK PAGE

This is a natural-language-input project at System Development Corporation in Santa Monica. It was begun under internal R&D funding with the title "Conceptual Processing". It is now funded by government agencies to provide an applications - level system and is now known as the "Natural Language Interface" project.