Centering in Japanese Discourse
Marilyn Walker, Masayo Iida, Sharon Cote

TL;DR
This paper adapts the centering algorithm for Japanese discourse to resolve zero pronouns, demonstrating language-specific parameterization and introducing topic ambiguity to improve discourse understanding in NLP systems.
Contribution
It presents a novel adaptation of the centering algorithm for Japanese, removing the need for property-sharing stipulations and introducing topic ambiguity for better discourse analysis.
Findings
Successfully modeled zero pronoun resolution in Japanese
Implemented the algorithm in an HPSG-based NLP system
Predicted discourse ambiguities specific to Japanese
Abstract
In this paper we propose a computational treatment of the resolution of zero pronouns in Japanese discourse, using an adaptation of the centering algorithm. We are able to factor language-specific dependencies into one parameter of the centering algorithm. Previous analyses have stipulated that a zero pronoun and its cospecifier must share a grammatical function property such as {\sc Subject} or {\sc NonSubject}. We show that this property-sharing stipulation is unneeded. In addition we propose the notion of {\sc topic ambiguity} within the centering framework, which predicts some ambiguities that occur in Japanese discourse. This analysis has implications for the design of language-independent discourse modules for Natural Language systems. The centering algorithm has been implemented in an HPSG Natural Language system with both English and Japanese grammars.
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Taxonomy
TopicsNatural Language Processing Techniques · Speech and dialogue systems · Topic Modeling
