nltk.featstruct.unify

nltk.featstruct.unify(fstruct1, fstruct2, bindings=None, trace=False, fail=None, rename_vars=True, fs_class='default')[source]

Unify fstruct1 with fstruct2, and return the resulting feature structure. This unified feature structure is the minimal feature structure that contains all feature value assignments from both fstruct1 and fstruct2, and that preserves all reentrancies.

If no such feature structure exists (because fstruct1 and fstruct2 specify incompatible values for some feature), then unification fails, and unify returns None.

Bound variables are replaced by their values. Aliased variables are replaced by their representative variable (if unbound) or the value of their representative variable (if bound). I.e., if variable v is in bindings, then v is replaced by bindings[v]. This will be repeated until the variable is replaced by an unbound variable or a non-variable value.

Unbound variables are bound when they are unified with values; and aliased when they are unified with variables. I.e., if variable v is not in bindings, and is unified with a variable or value x, then bindings[v] is set to x.

If bindings is unspecified, then all variables are assumed to be unbound. I.e., bindings defaults to an empty dict.

>>> from nltk.featstruct import FeatStruct
>>> FeatStruct('[a=?x]').unify(FeatStruct('[b=?x]'))
[a=?x, b=?x2]
Parameters

  • bindings (dict(Variable -> any)) – A set of variable bindings to be used and updated during unification.

  • trace (bool) – If true, generate trace output.

  • rename_vars (bool) – If True, then rename any variables in fstruct2 that are also used in fstruct1, in order to avoid collisions on variable names.