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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.digest
Subject: Re: Difficult Speech Examples
Message-ID: <2262@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-May-87 18:41:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.2262
Posted: Tue May 12 18:41:36 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 14-May-87 01:20:06 EDT
References: <8705071639.AA19346@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Distribution: world
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 22
Summary: 


It is usually claimed that sentential or speech ambiguities can be
resolved by knowing the context.  I heard one on TV the other night
that cannot be so resolved.  It could be disambiguated only by
asking the talker.  Here is the situation:

A nature program was describing the return of salmon from the sea to
their native river.  During the salt-to-fresh water transition, they
congregate in teh shallow water at the mouth of the river.  One after
another, they are picked off by swooping sea-birds.  The commentator
said " ... they are picked off by {terns|turns}."  Knowing completely
the context, it is impossible to know which he meant, although the two
meanings are very different.
-- 

Martin Taylor
{allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt
{uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsri!dciem!mmt
mmt@zorac.arpa
Magic is just advanced technology ... so is intelligence.  Before computers,
the ability to do arithmetic was proof of intelligence.  What proves
intelligence now?