Attribute grammars as a robust technical basis for a human - Computer interaction general purpose architecture

In this paper, we present a Natural Language Interface (NLI) that combines some of the advantages of using general purpose grammars with some of the features found in semantic grammars. This is achieved by an Attribute Grammar so as to create an intermediate representation which is interpreted in terms of domain-specific routines. NLI has been used as a component of a Human - Computer Interaction (HCI) system, working on different domains. After a discussion of the theory underlying the system, two examples of the use of NLI on practical domains are described: the first is in the field of three-dimensional scene generation, the second in the field of road map car planning. Some evaluation issues are also included in this paper.