NCSemanticElement

This trait defines a named entity that is used by NCSemanticEntityParser.

THe main purpose of this trait is to provide a set of synonyms by which this named entity can be matched in the input text. Each synonym consists of one or more individual words. Synonym matching is performed on the normalized and stemmatized forms of both a synonym and a user input on first phase and if the first attempt was not successful, it tries to match stemmatized forms of synonyms with lemmatized and the stemmatized forms of user input. This approach provides more accurate matching and doesn't force users to provide synonyms in their initial words form.

Note that element's type is its implicit synonym so that even if no additional synonyms are defined at least one synonym always exists.

1st Phase: on the 1st phase NCSemanticEntityParser will use stemmatized forms of both the synonym and the user input. For example, aa single synonyms argue will match all following words argued, argues and arguing by utilizing the same stem argu.* Note that you can control stemmatization level by choosing preferable algorithm, look at the following article Differences Between Porter and Lancaster Stemming Algorithms. Also note that stemmatization approach effectiveness varies depending on the chosen languages.

2ng Phase: at the second phase, if the 1st phase didn't produce a match, NCSemanticEntityParser will try to use lemmatized and then stemmatized version of the user input against stemmatized form of the synonym. For example, if an element is defined via synonym go, all following user input texts will be matched: go, gone, goes, went. Note that it is enough to define just initial word's form for the synonym.

Beside described above synonyms, semantic element can also have an optional set of special synonyms called values or "proper nouns" for this element. Unlike basic synonyms, each value is a pair of a name and a set of standard synonyms by which that value, and ultimately its element, can be recognized in the user input. Note that the value name itself acts as an implicit synonym even when no additional synonyms added for that value.

Example 1.

- id: "ord:menu"
 description: "Order menu."
 synonyms:
   - "{menu|carte|card}"
   - "{products|goods|food|item|_} list"

This YAML representation describes semantic entity ord:menu that can be detected via synonyms: menu, products, products list etc.

Example 2.

- id: "ord:pizza:size"
 description: "Size of pizza."
 values:
   "small": [ "{small|smallest|min|minimal|tiny} {size|piece|_}" ]
   "medium": [ "{medium|intermediate|normal|regular} {size|piece|_}" ]
   "large": [ "{big|biggest|large|max|maximum|huge|enormous} {size|piece|_}" ]

This YAML definition describes semantic entity ord:pizza:size that can be detected via values synonyms: small, medium size, big piece etc. Note that value (small, medium or large in this example) is passed in created NCEntity as a property with a key element-type:value (ord:pizza:size:value in this example).

NOTE: these examples show how semantic elements can be defined via YAML format when these elements passed in NCSemanticEntityParser via resource definition, but there aren't any differences when semantic elements defined via JSON/YAML files or prepared programmatically.

See detailed description on the website Semantic Parser.