Conceptual Dependency Notes
Conceptual Dependency Notes
The representation of events is separate from the words used to encode them.
The rules for filling the slots of the representation are the basis of language
understanding.
Conceptual Primitives
Eleven primitives can account for most actions in the physical world:
ATRANS
ATTEND
INGEST
EXPEL
GRASP
MBUILD
MTRANS
MOVE
PROPEL
PTRANS
SPEAK
Mental Acts
Conceptual Categories
LOC : Location.
T: Time.
past p
future f
negation /
start of a transition ts
end of a transition tf
conditional c
continuous k
interrogative ?
timeless ¥
present nil
States
• states of objects are described by scales with numerical values.
dead -10
gravely ill -9
sick -9 to -1
under the weather -2
all right 0
tip top +7
perfect health +10
More States
FEAR (range -10 to 0)
terrified -9
scared -5
anxious -2
calm 0
catatonic -9
depressed -5
upset -3
sad -2
ok 0
pleased +2
happy +5
ecstatic +10
Combinations of States
unconscious 0
asleep 5
awake 10
"higher drug consciousness" >10
Examples
Inference
What is an inference?
• If it makes sense to say "X but not Y" then Y is a valid inference.
• If it is absurd to say "X but not Y" then Y is part of the basic conceptualization.
John went to New York, but he didn't get there.
vs.
* John arrived in New York, but he didn't get there .
1. PTRANS is inferred.
2. The destination might be negatively affected (physically).
3. If the destination is human, the actor might have been mad at him/her.
4. If the object is brittle then it will become in a negative state.
Object-based inferences
But these inferences represent information about the objects, and are therefore
stored with the object and not the ACT.
Backward inference
• Backward inferences represent things that might have caused an ACT or state.
John has a book -> something cause him to have the book
(e.g., someone PTRANSed the book to him).
Mary knows what Fred did -> someone told her what Fred did
(e.g., someone MTRANSed the information to her).
Strengths of CD
• Words trigger CD frames that provide predictions about what will come next.
Identifies conceptual roles and helps disambiguation. (Also suggests how we can
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.