Discourse markers: a challenge for natural language processing

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rey, Joëlle

Affiliations: Departament de Traducció i Filologia, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Rambla 30‐32, 08002 Barcelona, Spain E‐mail: rey_joelle@trad.upf.es

Abstract: In this paper, I analyze the important role played by discourse markers in any communication process, and the extremely complex process involved in translating them. The analysis is conducted from a pragmatic standpoint and stresses the importance of context in determining the preference for one marker over another. In order to illustrate this process, examples are presented in both French and English. As a result, suggestions will be made on parameters which should be taken into consideration for natural language processing applications.

Journal: AI Communications, vol. 10, no. 3-4, pp. 177-184, 1997