A Theory of Granularity and its Application to Problems of Polysemy and Underspecification of Meaning
Abstract
Communication using natural language is remarkably exE;fficient, by allowing reuse(through the use of generative devices) of a finite vocabulary to describe a potentially in-finite set of situations. This vocabulary reuse contributes to words having many related senses (polysemy). Further, meanings can be relatively vague or precise; in other words, varying in their degree of specification of meaning. I suggest that these problems can be addressed by developing a knowledge rep-resentation which makes explicit the notion of granularity. As the grain size changes, we may fold certain distinctions, or split meanings more finely. In this paper, I formalize a theory of granularity and demonstrate how it can be applied to problems of meaning rep-resentation. Such a theory requires a world model which provides a rich sortal differentiation of entities based on the distinctions made by natural language, including the rep-resentation of meronymic structure and reification.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- AD1108107
Entities
People
- Inderjeet Mani
Organizations
- MITRE Corporation