IDENTIFYING SALIENT SEMANTIC RELATION PATHS BETWEEN TWO WORDS

The present invention identifies salient semantic relation paths between two words using a knowledge base. For a group of semantic relations occurring in the knowledge base, the facility models with a mathematical function the relation between a frequency of occurrence of unique semantic relations and the number of unique semantic relations that occur at that frequency. This mathematical function has a vertex frequency identifying a transition point in the mathematical function. The facility then determines the level of salience of unique semantic relations of the group such that the level of salience of unique semantic relations increases with the frequency of occurrence of the unique semantic relations approaches the vertex frequency of the mathematical function with which the relation between the frequency of occurrence of the unique semantic relations and the number of unique semantic relations occurring at that frequency is modeled. The facility is then able to determine the level of salience of a particular path between two words by combining the levels of salience determined for the semantic relations in the path.