Automatic definition extraction using parser combinators

Abstract

The automatic extraction of definitions from natural language texts has various applications such as the creation of glossaries and question-answering systems. In this paper we look at the extraction of definitions from non-technical texts using parser combinators in Haskell. We argue that this approach gives a general

and compositional way of characterising natural language definitions. The parsers we develop are shown

to be highly effective in the identification of definitions. Furthermore, we show how we can also automatically transform these parsers into other formats to be readily available for use within an eLearning system.