A corpus-based evaluation of centering and pronoun resolution

In this paper we compare pronoun resolution algorithms and introduce a centering algorithm (Left-Right Centering) that adheres to the constraints and rules of centering theory and is an alternative to Brennan, Friedman, and Pollard’s (1987) algorithm. We then use the Left-Right Centering algorithm to see if two psycholinguistic claims on Cf-list ranking will actually improve pronoun resolution accuracy. Our results from this investigation lead to the development of a new syntax-based ranking of the Cf-list and corpus-based evidence that contradicts the psycholinguistic claims. 1