Query variables
RelEx uses query variables to help identify the subject or object of a query. For example, the parse of "Who invented baseball?" generates:
_subj(invent, _$qVar) _obj(invent, baseball) QUERY-TYPE(_$qVar, who) tense(invent, past) noun_number(baseball, uncountable)
In this example, _$qVar identifies the uncertain thing being queried for. It should be viewed as a "blank slot" that, when filled out, provides the right answer. In other words, the output of RelEx can be understood to be a predicate (in the mathematical logic sense) that evaluates to true when the slot is filled with the correct answer.
Note that associated with the query variable is a word property, the QUERY-TYPE, which identifies the basic type of the query. There are seven types: who, what,where, when, how, which, why.
Copula variable
Also used in query formulation is _%copula, for example: Where is the ball? results in
_atLocation(_%copula, _$qVar) _subj(_%copula, ball)
which is answered by The ball is under the couch:
under(be, couch) _subj(be, ball)
In this example, the variable _%copula is grounded by the verb "be" (and _atLocation is grounded by "under", while _$qVar is grounded by "couch").
See also
See also comparison variables.