A Modular Architecture for Anaphora Resolution

Anaphora resolution attempts to determine the correct antecedent of an anaphor (the term pointing back). In what follows, we propose an algorithm for the resolution of anaphoric pronouns that relies on lexical and syntactic knowledge incorporated in a modular approach based on constraints and preferences. Our objective was to find the correct antecedent to the following subject pronouns (il, ils, elle, elles), object pronouns (l’, le, la, les) and possessive pronouns (son, sa, ses, leur, leurs) in unrestricted texts. We also identify and eliminate pleonastic pronouns and discard candidates appearing in appositions. Moreover we use a focus mechanism to determine salient entities. The algorithm, implemented in Prolog, realizes a success rate of 68%, which was considered a good performance for unrestricted French texts.