---
title: "A Problem for RST: The Need for Multi-Level Discourse Analysis — Moore 1992"
description: "Moore and Pollack argue this is a basic flaw. 13 references, cited by 53 papers here."
authors: ["Johanna D. Moore", "Martha E. Pollack"]
year: 1992
venue: "Computational Linguistics"
source: "https://aclanthology.org/J92-4007/"
licence: "CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (ACL Anthology, before 2016)"
licence_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"
summary_licence: "Elamur Cosmic License"
canonical: "https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/moore-1992-problem-rst-need-multi-level/"
---
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# A Problem for RST: The Need for Multi-Level Discourse Analysis

**Authors:** Johanna D. Moore and [Martha E. Pollack](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/authors/martha-e-pollack/) · **Year:** 1992 · **Venue:** Computational Linguistics · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (ACL Anthology, before 2016)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

**Links:** [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/J92-4007/) · [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/J92-4007.pdf) · [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2133695336)

**Citations:** 227 citations (OpenAlex, 2026-10-14) · [53](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/moore-1992-problem-rst-need-multi-level/cited-by/) in our library, of the 140,884 papers whose bibliographies we read

## Summary
Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) is widely used to structure multi-sentence output in natural language generation and in descriptive discourse work. It assumes that two adjacent discourse segments are normally joined by one preferred rhetorical relation. Moore and Pollack argue this is a basic flaw. Segments are linked simultaneously on two levels:
- **Informational level:** how their content relates, for example cause.
- **Intentional level:** how each utterance serves the speaker's plan to change the hearer's beliefs or actions, for example as evidence.

The paper is a theoretical argument based on constructed examples, with no corpus or experiments. It makes four claims:
- Forcing a choice between RST's subject matter and presentational relations makes analyses ambiguous.
- Hearers can reason from either level to the other during interpretation.
- A dialogue system needs a record of intentions to answer follow-up questions.
- Patching RST with paired-label definitions fails, because the two levels neither map one-to-one nor always form the same tree.

The authors conclude that any workable discourse theory must keep both analyses side by side. This matters for discourse annotation, parsing and dialogue generation.

## Key points
- A two-sentence example (Bush's backing of big business, followed by a predicted veto of House Bill 1711) satisfies both EVIDENCE and VOLITIONAL-CAUSE as defined by Mann and Thompson (1987).
- In a "come home by 5:00 / hardware store" dialogue, the informational relation is CONDITION. At the intentional level, the same pair can be ENABLEMENT or MOTIVATION, and the nucleus changes between the readings.
- Hovy's (1991) "results" field, if used to pair relations, would produce up to n × m combined definitions. It would also block modular, level-by-level analysis.
- Adding a third utterance about finishing bookshelves produces non-isomorphic trees:
  - In the intentional tree, coming home by 5:00 is the nucleus.
  - In the informational tree, finishing the bookshelves is the nucleus.
- The paper builds on the intentional structure of Grosz and Sidner (1986) and the follow-up-question problem raised by Moore and Paris (1992). It appeared in Computational Linguistics, 1992.

*Our summary of the paper, in our own words — not its text. The work belongs to its authors; read it at the links above.*

Fields: [Natural language processing](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/nlp/)

Topics: [🧵 Discourse analysis](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/topics/discourse-analysis/)

## Institutions

- [University of Pittsburgh](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/universities/university-of-pittsburgh/) — University, Pittsburgh, United States · 32 works · 20,612 citations

## Cite

Cite as: Johanna D. Moore and Martha E. Pollack. 1992. A Problem for RST: The Need for Multi-Level Discourse Analysis. Computational Linguistics.

The paper itself, not this page. BibTeX from the library's record of the work.

```bibtex
@article{moore1992problem,
  title = {{A Problem for RST: The Need for Multi-Level Discourse Analysis}},
  author = {Johanna D. Moore and Martha E. Pollack},
  journal = {Computational Linguistics},
  year = {1992},
  url = {https://aclanthology.org/J92-4007/}
}
```

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## References

13 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Appelt, Douglas E. (1985). Planning English Sentences. Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Appelt%2C+Douglas+E%2E+%281985%29%2E+Planning+English+Sentences%2E+Cambridge+University+Press%2E)
2. Fox, Barbara (1987). Discourse Structure and motivation b c c Anaphora: Written and Conversational English. Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Fox%2C+Barbara+%281987%29%2E+Discourse+Structure+and+motivation+b+c+c+Anaphora%3A+Written+and+Conversational+English%2E+Cambridge+University+Press%2E)
3. Grosz, Barbara J., and Sidner, Candace L. (1986). "Attention, intention, and the structure of discourse." Computational Linguistics, 12(3):175-204. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Grosz%2C+Barbara+J%2E%2C+and+Sidner%2C+Candace+L%2E+%281986%29%2E+%22Attention%2C+intention%2C+and+the+structure+of+discourse%2E%22+Computational+Linguistics%2C+12%283%29%3A175%2D204%2E)
4. Hovy, Eduard H. (1991). "Approaches to the planning of coherent text." In Natural Language Generation in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Linguistics, edited by C6cile Paris, William Swartout, and William Mann, 83-102. Kluwer Academic Publishers. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Hovy%2C+Eduard+H%2E+%281991%29%2E+%22Approaches+to+the+planning+of+coherent+text%2E%22+In+Natural+Language+Generation+in+Artificial+Intelligence+and+Computational+Linguistics%2C+edited+by+C6cile+Paris%2C+William+Swartout)
5. Knott, Alistair (1991). New strategies and constraints in RST-based text planning. Ms.C. thesis, Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Knott%2C+Alistair+%281991%29%2E+New+strategies+and+constraints+in+RST%2Dbased+text+planning%2E+Ms%2EC%2E+thesis%2C+Department+of+Artificial+Intelligence%2C+University+of+Edinburgh%2E)
6. Konolige, Kurt, and Pollack, Martha E. (1989). "Ascribing plans to agents: Preliminary report." In Proceedings, Eleventh International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Detroit, MI, 924-930. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Konolige%2C+Kurt%2C+and+Pollack%2C+Martha+E%2E+%281989%29%2E+%22Ascribing+plans+to+agents%3A+Preliminary+report%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+Eleventh+International+Joint+Conference+on+Artificial+Intelligence%2E+Detroit%2C+MI%2C+924%2D930)
7. Vander Linden, Keith; Cumming, Susanna; and Martin, James (1992). "Using system networks to build rhetorical structures." In Proceedings, Sixth International Workshop on Natural Language Generation. Berlin Heidelberg, Germany, 183-198. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Vander+Linden%2C+Keith%3B+Cumming%2C+Susanna%3B+and+Martin%2C+James+%281992%29%2E+%22Using+system+networks+to+build+rhetorical+structures%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+Sixth+International+Workshop+on+Natural+Language+Generation%2E+B)
8. Mann, William C., and Thompson, Sandra A. (1987). "Rhetorical structure theory: A theory of text organization." USC/Information Sciences Institute Technical Report Number RS-87-190, Marina del Rey, CA. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Mann%2C+William+C%2E%2C+and+Thompson%2C+Sandra+A%2E+%281987%29%2E+%22Rhetorical+structure+theory%3A+A+theory+of+text+organization%2E%22+USC%2FInformation+Sciences+Institute+Technical+Report+Number+RS%2D87%2D190%2C+Marina+del+Rey%2C+CA)
9. Matthiessen, Christian, and Thompson, Sandra (1988). "The structure of discourse and 'subordination.' " In Clause Combining in Grammar and Discourse, edited by J. Benjamins. Amsterdam. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Matthiessen%2C+Christian%2C+and+Thompson%2C+Sandra+%281988%29%2E+%22The+structure+of+discourse+and+%27subordination%2E%27+%22+In+Clause+Combining+in+Grammar+and+Discourse%2C+edited+by+J%2E+Benjamins%2E+Amsterdam%2E)
10. Moore, Jo:hanna D., and Paris, C6cile L. (1992). "Planning text for advisory dialogues: Capturing intentional, rhetorical and attentional information." Technical Report 92-22, University of Pittsburgh Computer Science Department, Pittsburgh, PA. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Moore%2C+Jo%3Ahanna+D%2E%2C+and+Paris%2C+C6cile+L%2E+%281992%29%2E+%22Planning+text+for+advisory+dialogues%3A+Capturing+intentional%2C+rhetorical+and+attentional+information%2E%22+Technical+Report+92%2D22%2C+University+of+Pittsburgh)
11. Moore, Johanna D., and Paris, C6cile L. (1989). "Planning text for advisory dialogues." In Proceedings, Twenty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics. Vancouver, B.C., 203-211. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Moore%2C+Johanna+D%2E%2C+and+Paris%2C+C6cile+L%2E+%281989%29%2E+%22Planning+text+for+advisory+dialogues%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+Twenty%2DSeventh+Annual+Meeting+of+the+Association+for+Computational+Linguistics%2E+Vancouver%2C+B%2EC%2E%2C)
12. Rosner, Dietmar, and Stede, Manfred (1992). "Customizing RST for the automatic production of technical manuals." In Proceedings, Sixth International Workshop on Natural Language Generation. Berlin Heidelberg, Germany, 199-215. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Rosner%2C+Dietmar%2C+and+Stede%2C+Manfred+%281992%29%2E+%22Customizing+RST+for+the+automatic+production+of+technical+manuals%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+Sixth+International+Workshop+on+Natural+Language+Generation%2E+Berlin+Hei)
13. Sadock, Jerrold M. (1977). "Modus brevis: The truncated argument." In Proceedings, Chicago Linguistics Society, 545-554. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Sadock%2C+Jerrold+M%2E+%281977%29%2E+%22Modus+brevis%3A+The+truncated+argument%2E%22+In+Proceedings%2C+Chicago+Linguistics+Society%2C+545%2D554%2E)