Word-sense disambiguation

Disambiguation (from the Latin dis-, zer' -, un - ',' apart ' and ambiguus, ambiguous ') is called in linguistics, the resolution of linguistic ambiguity.

• 2.1 lexicology

Generally

Terms and expressions are seldom clear. They usually have several meanings that are immediately clear only in a particular context. The reader or listener of a text has different interpretations of missing context information. How can a band be a book, a book of a series of books or a piece of clothing or a packaging material. In linguistics methods are developed against this background, that should make expressions for understanding more clearly. Such a process is called disambiguation. In linguistics, not only single characters, words and concepts are examined for their ambiguity, but also phrases and whole texts, as well as gestures and facial expressions. The factors of ambiguity can thereby also with the media - so, for example, in writing a newspaper article as a text message on the radio, as speech of a politician on TV - are related. The more complex the subject is examined in his expressions or his readings, for example, the more complex circumstances the ambiguities. So it can not be just a replaceable and variable term, in which the speaker decides if he used pasture, meadow or green space for what he considered, but complex forms of meaning as poetry, myth and ideology. Here need for disambiguation often then not only a number of juxtaposed meanings are made ​​distinguishable, but frequent whole layers of meaning.

Examples of ambiguities

Roland Barthes explained using the example of a three-part form of the term Rose Rose: " Just think of a bunch of roses: I let him represent my passion. Is there not just a significant and a significance Tetes, the rose and my passion? Not even that, in truth, there is only the, verleidenschaftlichten ' Roses. But in the area of ​​analysis, there are three concepts very well, because these occupied with passion roses can be quite rightly and disassemble in roses and passion. The one just like the other existed before they joined and this third object, the sign made ​​. Just as I can separate the roses from the embassy in the field of experience, they carry, so little can I equate as a sign in the area of ​​analysis, the roses as Major roses: the Major is empty, the mark is met, there is a sense. "

Roland Barthes provides here a linguistic theory and semiotic background of the various elements of the expression bouquet of roses - ( the verleidenschaftlichten ' Roses) the significant ( roses ), the signified ( passion ) and the - sign out sweeps as terms for the semiotic analysis. The problem of clarification can be asked: When is a bouquet of roses just a flower arrangement? When is a Rose bouquet is an expression of a love confession? In the latter case it is a myth or a mythical statement.

Would anyone with a bouquet of roses to express their passion to her lover, the bouquet of roses for the worshiper has a purpose - with the motto, which is love. For the adored it may be possible that the bouquet of roses has no meaning for him, at least not necessarily the sense to have received it as a sign of affection. The bouquet of roses for him may have an entirely different meaning or represent a different character. This happens in the case when he misunderstands the character of his beloved. So he could understand the bouquet as an invitation to visit his mother, or as a shopping item, which he reluctantly finds may on his desk. The performance of disambiguation would be here to make the communication between lover and beloved unique. The linguistics can ask here about the reasons of misunderstanding. A justification can be established societal norms. So it may be unusual in a society that a woman a man gives flowers as a sign of their feelings.

Whether the phrase " Let's go eat together " with " Let's have lunch together" or " Let's have dinner together" has to be translated, depends on the time of day. For translation programs such as the VERBMOBIL program while also the time of the PC system is considered and appropriately translated alternatively: at 13h with lunch, at 17h with dinner.

Verdeutlichungskriterien

The complexity of language has implications for the selection of criteria by which meanings are distinguished. Thus, no general formula can be applied - for example, no universal Disambiguierungsalgorithmus. Instead, how research is conducted in the language technology as a method of different methods according to evidence, which can be accessed from the individual " knowledge sources ". It also competing interpretations are related. Also, a better and more comprehensive input of information can facilitate the selection of meaning. In speech recognition, video recordings can be used as a source of information in addition to the acoustic information. The so-called " multi-modality " is thereby enhanced by lip-reading.

Mutual disambiguation

Especially in speech technology, various information can be fused together not only by speech recognition and lip-reading, but also through gesture, facial expression recognition and Prosodieerkennung to be then the process of " reference resolution and disambiguation " fed. As a result of this mutual disambiguation of this technology provides a representation of the importance of different ways of information acquisition and the subsequent process of disambiguation.

Fields of application

In lexicology this method is applied to the structuring of vocabulary. In semiotics ambiguities are examined not only in the syntax, semantics, pragmatics of a text, but especially at the level of signs and symbols. In the communication sciences, the ability to differentiate between meanings is viewed as a feature of competence. Practical application of research results for disambiguation can also be found in the development of language programs and translation programs.

Lexicology

Here linguistic ambiguities are eliminated by explicit assignment by alternative ways of mapping language. Thus, there are alternatives to the term dwelling villa, apartment, cottage and a variety of other expressions. Ambiguous expressions mentioned in the lexicology ambiguous lexemes, can be distinguished in polysemous and homonyms.

A method of disambiguation is in the case of homonymy, highlight the different emphasis of a term. This applies for example to the modern expression to. state can ever be distinguished by an emphasis in modern with the emphasis as in the sentence garbage that rots to himself or in modern as in the sentence She loves to dress modern. The technical term for an overlapping meaning here is incompatible with modern Lexemverbindungen. In the example modern can be used as a means of disambiguating incompatible Lexemverbindungen not only the stress, but also the method of explicit Ausformulierens. Thus, the term " factory" show different meanings if the following is formulated: a) " Mother goes by 6 clock in the factory" ( factory = the work) b ) "The factory is on strike " ( factory = the working men and women ). In this case it is the problem of polysemy. The problem in the case of the term " factory" is also not a linguistic, which can be solved by the emphasis, but it is a structural. Structural ambiguities point to a different deep structure.

On the lexical level, the exclusion of incompatible Lexemverbindungen of disambiguation used. After Lewandowski the goal of disambiguation is to make an expression more comprehensible in its speaker's intention. The text will be placed in relation to its context, the communicative context, the communication situation and its " reference relation " or the " Denotatswissen " or " world knowledge".

Similar names

Depending on the field of work, the theory or the school in semiotics and linguistics to find similar names. This includes the terms Eindeutigmachung, disambiguation, and Entambiguisierung Monosemierung.