Basic query performatives

evaluate
     :content <expression>
     :language <word>
     :ontology <word>
     :reply-with <expression>
     :sender <word>
     :receiver <word>

Performatives of this type indicate that the sender would like the recipient to simplify the expression in the :content parameter, and reply with the result. (Simplification is a language specific concept, but it should subsume ``believed equal''.)

ask-if
     :content <expression>
     :language <word>
     :ontology <word>
     :reply-with <expression>
     :sender <word>
     :receiver <word>

A performative of this type is the same as evaluate, except that the :content must be a sentence schema in the :language. In other words, the sender wishes to know if the :content matches any sentence in the recipient's VKB.

ask-about
     :content <expression>
     :language <word>
     :ontology <word>
     :reply-with <expression>
     :sender <word>
     :receiver <word>

A performative of this type is like ask-if, except that the reply should be the collection of all sentences in the recipient's VKB that contain a sentence or term that matches the sentence or term schema in the :content. Note that the reply :language and :ontology must include a ``collection'' construct (e.g., sets, lists, bags, etc.).

ask-one
     :content <expression>
     :aspect <expression>
     :language <word>
     :ontology <word>
     :reply-with <expression>
     :sender <word>
     :receiver <word>

A performative of this type is like an ask-if, except that the :aspect parameter describes the form of the desired reply; for some match of the :content in the recipient's VKB, the reply will be the :aspect with all of its schema variables replaced by the values bound to the corresponding schema variables in :content. The value of the :aspect parameter defaults to the value of the :content parameter. Note that performatives of this type make most sense with languages that define schema variables.

ask-all
     :content <expression>
     :aspect <expression>
     :language <word>
     :ontology <word>
     :reply-with <expression>
     :sender <word>
     :receiver <word>

A performative of this type is like ask-one, except that the reply should be a collection of instantiated aspects corresponding to all matches of the :content sentences on the recipient's VKB.

finin@cmsc