Implementing a model for understanding goal‐oriented discourse

This article describes the design decisions taken in implementing a processing model for understanding goal‐oriented discourse. This model analyzes a restricted form of discourse known as arguments. Two main contributions are: (i) an integrated processing algorithm, which combines basic processing constraints with an interpretation of clue words–words and phrases which serve to indicate the structure of the discourse; (ii) a working version of the “evidence oracle,” which establishes connections between utterances in the discourse. This oracle determines if an “evidence” relation is intended between two utterances, and builds a model of the speaker based on the evidence relations found. This article thus emphasizes the general insights gained from the implementation exercise, both for the specification of a discourse analysis model, and for the general problem of recognizing a speaker's intentions and plans.