Rhetorical Relations: Necessary But Not Sufficient

It is generMly agreed tha t coherent (lis('ourse consists of segments tha,t are related to one another. A number of researchers have a, rgm~d lbr the use of rhetorica,l[(~ri75] or coherence relations [I-Iol)79], and the rhetorical relations specified by R S'I? [MT87] have I)e(,~, used in s t ructur ing text [tlov88, MP90]. In this l)a.l)el" , we exa.mine rh(q.ori(:al relations in the cold.~,xt of dia.logue, ra, tlmr than single-speaker te×t. We argue that rea,s(millg about relational l)r()lmsit, ions is necessary but not sufficient ior s t ructur ing (lialogtm, 1)oiHt out s(,v(q'al prol)h,ms of a, pplyiug RST to dialogue, a, nd argue tbr the necessity of recognizillg the intentions underlying utteratlces a,lld I, he rich relationshil)s among these intentions. Our research on recognizing expressions of (hml)t and interpreting ilMirect replies provides evidence tha t what Moore a,nd Polla,ck call i lfformal,itmal level rela, ti(ms [Ml'!)2] play a,n illlporta, llt role in identil~ing intentions ill (lia.h)gue. (r~,llsi(l(~l' s()me ('ontiilua.l.i~),s of I.h(~ Iblh~wing (liah)gm, sequence: