Robust natural language parser

A program product for processing a natural language communication in a data processing system including a processor, the program product comprising:

• a storage device;
• program code stored on the storage device, wherein the program code, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform:
• receiving a natural language communication and identifying, in the natural language communication, an ordered sequence of a plurality of word spellings of a natural human language;
• parsing the natural language communication by reference to a consistent meaning framework (CMF) graph utilizing constraint-based parsing, wherein the CMF graph includes a plurality of nodes each corresponding to a respective word meaning, and wherein the parsing includes:
• scanning the ordered sequence of the plurality of word spellings forming the natural language communication in different first and second parse scan directions, wherein, in the first parse scan direction, the plurality of word spellings are scanned in order of the ordered sequence and, in the second parse scan direction, the plurality of word spellings are scanned in reverse of the ordered sequence;
• and
• determining a respective meaning associated with each of multiple word spellings in a phrase of the natural language communication by reference to multiple constraints provided by multiple nodes in the CMF graph respectively corresponding to the word meanings, wherein the determining includes:
• processing at least one of the multiple word spellings within the phrase in the first parse scan direction with respect to a first constraint to obtain first metadata;
• and
• thereafter processing at least two of the multiple word spellings within the phrase in sequence in the second parse scan direction with respect to a second constraint utilizing the first metadata to obtain second metadata regarding the phrase.

A data processing system for processing a natural language communication in a data processing system including a processor, the data processing system comprising:

• a processor;
• a storage device communicatively coupled to the processor;
• and
• program code stored on the storage device, wherein the program code, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform:
• receiving a natural language communication and identifying, in the natural language communication, an ordered sequence of a plurality of word spellings of a natural human language;
• parsing the natural language communication by reference to a consistent meaning framework (CMF) graph utilizing constraint-based parsing, wherein the CMF graph includes a plurality of nodes each corresponding to a respective word meaning, and wherein the parsing includes:
• scanning the ordered sequence of the plurality of word spellings forming the natural language communication in different first and second parse scan directions, wherein, in the first parse scan direction, the plurality of word spellings are scanned in order of the ordered sequence and, in the second parse scan direction, the plurality of word spellings are scanned in reverse of the ordered sequence;
• and
• determining a respective meaning associated with each of multiple word spellings in a phrase of the natural language communication by reference to multiple constraints provided by multiple nodes in the CMF graph respectively corresponding to the word meanings, wherein the determining includes:
• processing at least one of the multiple word spellings within the phrase in the first parse scan direction with respect to a first constraint to obtain first metadata;
• and
• thereafter processing at least two of the multiple word spellings within the phrase in sequence in the second parse scan direction with respect to a second constraint utilizing the first metadata to obtain second metadata regarding the phrase.