A method and system for pronoun disambiguation adapts or learns from
evaluating input by the user. The system stores pronoun information
relating to pronoun usage for people, entities, and things that a user
can use a pronoun to refer to in interacting with the system. The pronoun
information is used by the system in a process that interprets the
meaning of the pronoun in the context of the interaction with the user.
The system and method include matching the pronoun reference input by the
user to the likely person or thing based upon an evolving pronoun
preference associated with the person, entity or thing. During each
interaction, the system and method permit the user to verify that the
system interpreted the pronoun as referring to the correct person, entity
or thing and modifies the stored pronoun information to reflect the
verified usage. The system and method can select pronoun preferences when
a user adds an entry into their address book by searching for information
that can indicate the proper pronoun preference for a given entry. The
pronoun preference can be selected based upon information in the user's
address book and/or other sources of pronoun information such as other
users' address books and system databases.