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Question‐Answering for Intelligent On‐Line Help: The Process of Intelligent Responding
Author(s) -
Pilkington Rachel M.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.498
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1551-6709
pISSN - 0364-0213
DOI - 10.1207/s15516709cog1604_2
Subject(s) - computer science , rhetorical question , scheme (mathematics) , process (computing) , unix , metalanguage , set (abstract data type) , context (archaeology) , natural language processing , artificial intelligence , human–computer interaction , linguistics , programming language , software , mathematical analysis , paleontology , philosophy , mathematics , biology
This article examines the process of specifying a question‐answering help facility in the context of UNIX mail. The specification was based upon experimental expert‐user facilitative dialogues. These dialogues were analyzed using a classification scheme developed for the purpose. The scheme provides a metalanguage for describing patterns of intent and rhetorical structure in dialogue. Using the scheme as a tool, common patterns in expert‐user dialogue emerged, providing insights into both tutoring strategy and the linguistic forms required to generate help output. These were refined to form a set of frames consisting of stereotypical patterns of rhetorical predicates to answer different types of questions which could be adapted to the needs of a particular user. The significance of the system developed from this specification is discussed.