NLP (natural language processing)
A set of techniques that allow a system to interpret text written in human language. In search, it identifies the intent behind a query and extracts its meaning beyond the exact words used.
Definition
Definition
Natural language processing (NLP) is the branch of computer science and linguistics concerned with enabling systems to understand, interpret, and generate human language.
In eCommerce search, NLP is the underlying technology that allows a search engine to go beyond keyword matching, to parse the grammatical structure of a query, identify the entities mentioned (brand names, product categories, attributes), infer the intent behind the words, and handle language variation (synonyms, typos, colloquialisms, multi-word expressions). NLP encompasses a range of techniques: tokenization and stemming, named entity recognition, semantic analysis, and intent classification.
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