[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/lappin-1994-algorithm-pronominal-anaphora-resolution/)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [docs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/) / [papers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/) / An Algorithm for Pronominal Anaphora Resolution

# An Algorithm for Pronominal Anaphora Resolution

**Authors:** Shalom Lappin, Herbert J. Leass · **Year:** 1994 · **Venue:** Computational Linguistics, 20(4) **Link:** [aclanthology.org/J94-4002](https://aclanthology.org/J94-4002/) (ACL Anthology J94-4002) **License of the paper:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) (ACL Anthology, pre-2016) — [creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

[**193** citations in our library](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/cited-by/lappin-1994-algorithm-pronominal-anaphora-resolution/) of the 140673 papers whose bibliographies we read[licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/J94-4002/)
- [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/J94-4002.pdf)

**Authors (2)**

1. Shalom Lappin
2. Herbert J. Leass

Citations and author metrics from OpenAlex (); authors with the same name are not always told apart.

## Summary

The paper presents RAP (Resolution of Anaphora Procedure), a classic rule-based algorithm for resolving third-person pronouns (including reflexives and reciprocals) using syntactic information from a parser. Candidate antecedents are assigned a salience score built from weighted factors such as recency, grammatical role (subject, existential, direct object, indirect object/oblique), head-noun status and not being inside an adverbial phrase. Salience is halved for each sentence boundary crossed, and role parallelism and cataphora adjust the score. Syntactic filters (agreement and binding-style constraints on co-arguments) remove impossible candidates before the highest-scoring one is chosen. The authors evaluate RAP on technical manuals and compare it with Hobbs' syntactic search algorithm, reporting that the salience approach performs at least as well. The work became a standard reference point for knowledge-poor, transparent pronoun resolution.

## How Mova uses it

- the development notes of `coref` ("What next") — the salience weights of this paper (recency 100, subject 80, existential 70, object 50, indirect object and oblique 40, head noun 80, non-adverbial 50; halving per sentence; parallelism +35, cataphora −175) are recorded as a candidate replacement or complement for the Hobbs-style candidate order used in the `pronoun` sieve.
- Not implemented yet; the current resolver orders candidates in a Hobbs-like breadth-first tree traversal.

## Effectiveness in Mova

Not tried yet (the coref README marks it explicitly as "not tried"). Planned idea only; not measured.

---

👨‍🔬💥

Topics: [Coreference resolution](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/topics/coreference-resolution/)

## Cite

The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work.

```
@misc{lappin1994algorithm,
  title = {{An Algorithm for Pronominal Anaphora Resolution}},
  author = {Lappin, Shalom and Leass, Herbert J.},
  year = {1994},
  url = {https://aclanthology.org/J94-4002/}
}
```

- [← previous Hedges: A Study in Meaning Criteria and the Logic of Fuzzy Concepts](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/lakoff-1973-hedges-study-meaning-criteria/)
- [next → Deterministic Coreference Resolution Based on Entity-Centric, Precision-Ranked Rules](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/lee-2013-deterministic-coreference-resolution-based-entity/)
- [↑ back to papers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/)

## References

31 references, 2 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Alshawi, Hiyan (1987). Memory and Context for Language Interpretation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Alshawi%2C+Hiyan+%281987%29%2E+Memory+and+Context+for+Language+Interpretation%2E+Cambridge%3A+Cambridge+University+Press%2E)
2. Asher, Nicholas, and Wada, Hajime (1988). "A computational account of syntactic, semantic and discourse principles for anaphora resolution." Journal of Semantics 6:309-344. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Asher%2C+Nicholas%2C+and+Wada%2C+Hajime+%281988%29%2E+%22A+computational+account+of+syntactic%2C+semantic+and+discourse+principles+for+anaphora+resolution%2E%22+Journal+of+Semantics+6%3A309%2D344%2E)
3. Bosch, Peter (1988). "Some good reasons for shallow pronoun processing." In Proceedings, IBM Conference on Natural Language Processing. New York: Thornwood. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Bosch%2C+Peter+%281988%29%2E+%22Some+good+reasons+for+shallow+pronoun+processing%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+IBM+Conference+on+Natural+Language+Processing%2E+New+York%3A+Thornwood%2E)
4. Brennan, Susan; Friedman, Marilyn; and Pollard, Carl (1987). "A centering approach to pronouns." In Proceedings, 25th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, 155-162. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Brennan%2C+Susan%3B+Friedman%2C+Marilyn%3B+and+Pollard%2C+Carl+%281987%29%2E+%22A+centering+approach+to+pronouns%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+25th+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+for+Computational+Linguistics%2C+155%2D162%2E)
5. Carbonell, Jaime, and Brown, Ralf (1988). "Anaphora resolution: A multi-strategy approach." In Proceedings, 12th International Conference on Computational Linguistics, 96-101. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Carbonell%2C+Jaime%2C+and+Brown%2C+Ralf+%281988%29%2E+%22Anaphora+resolution%3A+A+multi%2Dstrategy+approach%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+12th+International+Conference+on+Computational+Linguistics%2C+96%2D101%2E)
6. Dagan, Ido (1992). "Multilingual statistical approaches for natural language disambiguation" (in Hebrew). Doctoral dissertation, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Dagan, Ido; Justeson, John; Lappin, Shalom; Leass, Herbert; and Ribak, Amnon (in 27 Bosch (1988) suggests a psychological processing model in which hearers rely on first pass syntactically based strategies for initial linking of pronouns to antecedent NPs. press). "Syntax and lexical statistics in anaphora resolution." Applied Artificial Intelligence. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Dagan%2C+Ido+%281992%29%2E+%22Multilingual+statistical+approaches+for+natural+language+disambiguation%22+%28in+Hebrew%29%2E+Doctoral+dissertation%2C+Israel+Institute+of+Technology%2C+Haifa%2C+Israel%2E+Dagan%2C+Ido%3B+Justeson%2C+Jo)
7. Grosz, Barbara; Joshi, Aravind; and Weinstein, Scott (1983). "Providing a unified account of definite noun phrases in discourse." In Proceedings, 21st Annual Meeting of the Association of Computational Linguistics, 44-50. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Grosz%2C+Barbara%3B+Joshi%2C+Aravind%3B+and+Weinstein%2C+Scott+%281983%29%2E+%22Providing+a+unified+account+of+definite+noun+phrases+in+discourse%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+21st+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+of+Computationa)
8. Grosz, Barbara; Joshi, Aravind; and Weinstein, Scott (1986, unpublished). "Towards a computational theory of discourse interpretation." Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Grosz%2C+Barbara%3B+Joshi%2C+Aravind%3B+and+Weinstein%2C+Scott+%281986%2C+unpublished%29%2E+%22Towards+a+computational+theory+of+discourse+interpretation%2E%22+Harvard+University+and+University+of+Pennsylvania%2E)
9. Grosz, Barbara, and Sidner, Candice (1986). "Attention, intentions, and the structure of discourse." Computational Linguistics 12:175-204. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Grosz%2C+Barbara%2C+and+Sidner%2C+Candice+%281986%29%2E+%22Attention%2C+intentions%2C+and+the+structure+of+discourse%2E%22+Computational+Linguistics+12%3A175%2D204%2E)
10. Guenthner, Franz, and Lehmann, Hubert (1983). "Rules for pronominalization." In Proceedings, First Annual Meeting of the European Chapter of the ACL, 144-151. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Guenthner%2C+Franz%2C+and+Lehmann%2C+Hubert+%281983%29%2E+%22Rules+for+pronominalization%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+First+Annual+Meeting+of+the+European+Chapter+of+the+ACL%2C+144%2D151%2E)
11. Hobbs, Jerry (1978). "Resolving pronoun references." Lingua 44:311-338. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Hobbs%2C+Jerry+%281978%29%2E+%22Resolving+pronoun+references%2E%22+Lingua+44%3A311%2D338%2E) [our card](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hobbs-1978-resolving-pronoun-references/)
12. Johnson, David (1977). "On relational constraints on grammars." In Syntax and Semantics 8, edited by P. Cole and J. Sadock, 151-178. New York: Academic Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Johnson%2C+David+%281977%29%2E+%22On+relational+constraints+on+grammars%2E%22+In+Syntax+and+Semantics+8%2C+edited+by+P%2E+Cole+and+J%2E+Sadock%2C+151%2D178%2E+New+York%3A+Academic+Press%2E)
13. Kamp, Hans (1981). "A theory of truth and semantic representation." In Formal Methods in the Study of Language, edited by J. Groenendijk, T. Janssen, and M. Stokhof. Amsterdam: Mathematisch Centrum Tracts. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kamp%2C+Hans+%281981%29%2E+%22A+theory+of+truth+and+semantic+representation%2E%22+In+Formal+Methods+in+the+Study+of+Language%2C+edited+by+J%2E+Groenendijk%2C+T%2E+Janssen%2C+and+M%2E+Stokhof%2E+Amsterdam%3A+Mathematisch+Centrum+Tr)
14. Keenan, Edward, and Comrie, Bernard (1977). "Noun phrase accessibility and universal grammar." Linguistic Inquiry 8:62-100. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Keenan%2C+Edward%2C+and+Comrie%2C+Bernard+%281977%29%2E+%22Noun+phrase+accessibility+and+universal+grammar%2E%22+Linguistic+Inquiry+8%3A62%2D100%2E)
15. Lappin, Shalom (1985). "Pronominal binding and coreference." Theoretical Linguistics 12:241-263. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lappin%2C+Shalom+%281985%29%2E+%22Pronominal+binding+and+coreference%2E%22+Theoretical+Linguistics+12%3A241%2D263%2E)
16. Lappin, Shalom, and McCord, Michael (1990a). "A syntactic filter on pronominal anaphora in slot grammar." In Proceedings, 28th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, 135-142. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lappin%2C+Shalom%2C+and+McCord%2C+Michael+%281990a%29%2E+%22A+syntactic+filter+on+pronominal+anaphora+in+slot+grammar%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+28th+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+for+Computational+Linguistics%2C+135%2D142%2E)
17. Lappin, Shalom, and McCord, Michael (1990b). "Anaphora resolution in slot grammar." Computational Linguistics 16:197-212. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lappin%2C+Shalom%2C+and+McCord%2C+Michael+%281990b%29%2E+%22Anaphora+resolution+in+slot+grammar%2E%22+Computational+Linguistics+16%3A197%2D212%2E)
18. Leass, Herbert, and Schwall, Ulrike (1991). "An anaphora resolution procedure for machine translation." IWBS Report 172, IBM Germany Scientific Center, Heidelberg, Germany. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Leass%2C+Herbert%2C+and+Schwall%2C+Ulrike+%281991%29%2E+%22An+anaphora+resolution+procedure+for+machine+translation%2E%22+IWBS+Report+172%2C+IBM+Germany+Scientific+Center%2C+Heidelberg%2C+Germany%2E)
19. McCord, Michael (1989a). "Design of LMT: A prolog-based machine translation system." Computational Linguistics 15:33-52. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McCord%2C+Michael+%281989a%29%2E+%22Design+of+LMT%3A+A+prolog%2Dbased+machine+translation+system%2E%22+Computational+Linguistics+15%3A33%2D52%2E) [our card](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/mccord-1989-design-lmt-prolog-based-machine/)
20. McCord, Michael (1989b). "A new version of the machine translation system LMT." Literary and Linguistic Computing 4:218-229. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McCord%2C+Michael+%281989b%29%2E+%22A+new+version+of+the+machine+translation+system+LMT%2E%22+Literary+and+Linguistic+Computing+4%3A218%2D229%2E)
21. McCord, Michael (1990). "Slot grammar: A system for simpler construction of practical natural language grammars." In Natural Language and Logic: International Scientific Symposium, edited by R. Studer, 118-145. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Berlin: Springer Verlag. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McCord%2C+Michael+%281990%29%2E+%22Slot+grammar%3A+A+system+for+simpler+construction+of+practical+natural+language+grammars%2E%22+In+Natural+Language+and+Logic%3A+International+Scientific+Symposium%2C+edited+by+R%2E+Studer)
22. McCord, Michael (1993). "Heuristics for broad-coverage natural language parsing." In Proceedings, ARPA Human Language Technology Workshop, University of Pennsylvania. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McCord%2C+Michael+%281993%29%2E+%22Heuristics+for+broad%2Dcoverage+natural+language+parsing%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+ARPA+Human+Language+Technology+Workshop%2C+University+of+Pennsylvania%2E)
23. McCord, Michael (in press). "The slot grammar system." In Unification in Grammar, edited by Jiirgen Wedekin and Christian Rohrer (also IBM Research Report RC 17313). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McCord%2C+Michael+%28in+press%29%2E+%22The+slot+grammar+system%2E%22+In+Unification+in+Grammar%2C+edited+by+Jiirgen+Wedekin+and+Christian+Rohrer+%28also+IBM+Research+Report+RC+17313%29%2E+Cambridge%2C+MA%3A+MIT+Press%2E)
24. McCord, Michael; Bernth, Arendse; Lappin, Shalom; and Zadrozny, Wlodek (1992). "Natural language processing within a slot grammar framework." International Journal on Artificial Intelligence Tools 1:229-277. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McCord%2C+Michael%3B+Bernth%2C+Arendse%3B+Lappin%2C+Shalom%3B+and+Zadrozny%2C+Wlodek+%281992%29%2E+%22Natural+language+processing+within+a+slot+grammar+framework%2E%22+International+Journal+on+Artificial+Intelligence+Tools+1%3A2)
25. Rich, Elaine, and LuperFoy, Susann (1988). "An architecture for anaphora resolution." In Proccedings, ACL Conference on Applied Natural Language Processing, 18-24. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Rich%2C+Elaine%2C+and+LuperFoy%2C+Susann+%281988%29%2E+%22An+architecture+for+anaphora+resolution%2E%22+In+Proccedings%2C+ACL+Conference+on+Applied+Natural+Language+Processing%2C+18%2D24%2E)
26. Sidner, Candice (1981). "Focusing for interpretation of pronouns." American Journal of Computational Linguistics 7:217-231. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Sidner%2C+Candice+%281981%29%2E+%22Focusing+for+interpretation+of+pronouns%2E%22+American+Journal+of+Computational+Linguistics+7%3A217%2D231%2E)
27. Sidner, Candice (1983). "Focusing in the comprehension of definite anaphora." In Computational Models of Discourse, edited by Michael Brady and Robert Berwick, 267-330. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Sidner%2C+Candice+%281983%29%2E+%22Focusing+in+the+comprehension+of+definite+anaphora%2E%22+In+Computational+Models+of+Discourse%2C+edited+by+Michael+Brady+and+Robert+Berwick%2C+267%2D330%2E+Cambridge%2C+MA%3A+MIT+Press%2E)
28. Walker, Marilyn (1989). "Evaluating discourse processing algorithms." In Proceedings, 27th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, 251-261. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Walker%2C+Marilyn+%281989%29%2E+%22Evaluating+discourse+processing+algorithms%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+27th+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+for+Computational+Linguistics%2C+251%2D261%2E)
29. Walker, Marilyn; Iida, Masayo; and Cote, Sharon (1990). "Centering in Japanese discourse." In Proceedings, 13th International Conference on Computational Linguistics, 1-6. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Walker%2C+Marilyn%3B+Iida%2C+Masayo%3B+and+Cote%2C+Sharon+%281990%29%2E+%22Centering+in+Japanese+discourse%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+13th+International+Conference+on+Computational+Linguistics%2C+1%2D6%2E)
30. Webber, Bonnie (1988). "Discourse Deixis: Reference to discourse segments." In Proceedings, 26th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, 113-121. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Webber%2C+Bonnie+%281988%29%2E+%22Discourse+Deixis%3A+Reference+to+discourse+segments%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+26th+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+for+Computational+Linguistics%2C+113%2D121%2E)
31. Williams, Edwin (1984). "Grammatical relations." Linguistic Inquiry 15:639~73. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Williams%2C+Edwin+%281984%29%2E+%22Grammatical+relations%2E%22+Linguistic+Inquiry+15%3A639%7E73%2E)