Transition Networks for Discourse Management

TRANSITION NETWORKS ARE A NATURAL NOTATION FOR FORMALIZING THE SPACE OF ACTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS THROUGH WHICH A PROGRAM MUST NAVIGATE WHEN HOLDING A CONVERSATION WITH A HUMAN USER [7], [19]. HOWEVER, DISSATISFAC- TION WITH THE AUGMENTED TRANSITION NETWORK FORMALISM THAT WE USED IN EARLIER WORK ON TUTORING DIALOGS [28] HAS LED US TO DEVELOP THE NEW FORMAL- ISM THAT WE PRESENT IN THIS PAPER. WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED A PROGRAM FRAMEWORK- A VIRTUAL MACHINE-THAT DEFINES A NODE AND ARC NOTATION INTERPRETED SEMANTI- CALLY IN TERMS OF SITUATIONS (ARCS) THAT DICTATE THE ACTIONS (NODES) THAT THE SYSTEM IS TO TAKE. OUR WORK IS BASED ON ANALYSES OF RECORDED CONVERSA- TIONS AND GROUNDED IN AN EXPERIMENTAL MAN-MACHINE INTERFACE BY WHICH A HU- MAN LAWYER WOULD GET ADVICE FROM A LEGAL REASONING PROGRAM. WE PRESENT THE MOTIVATIONS BEHIND A DISCOURSE MANAGER AND ITS PLACE WITHIN A MAN-MACHINE INTERFACE, A DEFINITION OF OUR FORMALISM, AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF ITS USE IN TWO DIFFERENT DOMAINS.