One of the more interesting papers I read this week was:
Cherpas, C. (1992). Natural Language Processing, Pragmatics, and Verbal Behavior.
What stood out is how accurately it anticipated several issues we are now facing in the modern AI era.
In 1992, the author argued that language systems focused too heavily on syntax and structure, while the real challenge of AI would ultimately involve pragmatics:
- context,
- user history,
- interaction,
- adaptation,
- and understanding intent.
That sounds remarkably similar to today’s discussions around:
- LLM memory,
- AI agents,
- personalized copilots,
- adaptive tutoring systems,
- and longitudinal AI interaction.
One particularly striking idea was the proposal for a “user expert” system, an AI that learns from a person’s long-term interaction history and adapts to the individual over time. In many ways, this foreshadowed modern conversations around persistent AI assistants and agentic systems.
The paper also argued that meaning emerges through interaction and consequences rather than static symbolic rules alone. History largely validated that position as AI shifted away from purely symbolic systems toward statistical learning, deep learning, and reinforcement-driven approaches.
For those of us working in AI, EdTech, analytics, and human-AI interaction, it is a reminder that some of today’s “new” questions have deeper roots than we sometimes realize.
As my AAEL (AI-Augmented Exploratory Learning) research continues, I keep returning to the same core idea:
AI is most powerful not when it replaces human thinking, but when it adapts to and extends human exploration, iteration, and problem-solving.
Robert Foreman
Doctoral Candidate – Educational Technology (DET)
Central Michigan University
Research Focus:
AI-Augmented Exploratory Learning (AAEL)
Human-AI Interaction
AI in Professional Learning
Website: NhanceData.com
Email: forem1r@cmich.edu
Source:
Cherpas, C. (1992). Natural Language Processing, Pragmatics, and Verbal Behavior. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 10, 135–147.
(PDF) Natural Language Processing, Pragmatics, and Verbal Behavior