论文标题
在系统地构建受控自然语言的方面
On Systematically Building a Controlled Natural Language for Functional Requirements
论文作者
论文摘要
[上下文]自然语言（NL）在软件需求规范（SRSS）中普遍存在。然而，尽管NL的流行和广泛使用，但仍容易出现诸如模糊，歧义和不完整之类的质量问题。已经提出了受控的自然语言（CNL），以防止需求文档中的质量问题，同时保持以直观且普遍理解的方式编写和交流需求的灵活性。 [目标]与金融领域的工业合作伙伴合作，我们系统地开发和评估了名为Rimay的CNL，旨在帮助分析师编写功能要求。 [方法]我们依靠扎根理论来建立Rimay，并遵循众所周知的指南进行和报告工业案例研究。 [结果]我们的主要贡献是：（1）系统地定义CNL的功能要求的定性方法；该方法是一般的，适用于金融领域以外的信息系统，（2）CNL语法代表功能要求；该语法源自我们在金融领域的经验，但应适用于其他信息系统领域，以及（3）通过工业案例研究对我们的CNL（RIMAY）进行经验评估。我们的贡献借鉴了15个代表性SRSS，共同包含来自金融领域的3215个NL要求声明。 [结论]我们的评估表明，RIMAY表现得足以捕获NL需求陈述中有88％（460）中有88％（460个）从金融领域的四个以前看不见的SRS中捕获。
[Context] Natural language (NL) is pervasive in software requirements specifications (SRSs). However, despite its popularity and widespread use, NL is highly prone to quality issues such as vagueness, ambiguity, and incompleteness. Controlled natural languages (CNLs) have been proposed as a way to prevent quality problems in requirements documents, while maintaining the flexibility to write and communicate requirements in an intuitive and universally understood manner. [Objective] In collaboration with an industrial partner from the financial domain, we systematically develop and evaluate a CNL, named Rimay, intended at helping analysts write functional requirements. [Method] We rely on Grounded Theory for building Rimay and follow well-known guidelines for conducting and reporting industrial case study research. [Results] Our main contributions are: (1) a qualitative methodology to systematically define a CNL for functional requirements; this methodology is general and applicable to information systems beyond the financial domain, (2) a CNL grammar to represent functional requirements; this grammar is derived from our experience in the financial domain, but should be applicable, possibly with adaptations, to other information-system domains, and (3) an empirical evaluation of our CNL (Rimay) through an industrial case study. Our contributions draw on 15 representative SRSs, collectively containing 3215 NL requirements statements from the financial domain. [Conclusion] Our evaluation shows that Rimay is expressive enough to capture, on average, 88% (405 out of 460) of the NL requirements statements in four previously unseen SRSs from the financial domain.
