In this paper, we introduce the notion of bidirectional finite-state automata (BFSA). A BFSA is defined by the following sequence: A(left).omega .A(right), where omega is a word called pivot, A(right). FSA that should be read from the left to the right and A(left) a FSA that should be read from the right to the left. omega is an edge linking the initial state of A(left) to the initial state of A(right). We present the use of such devices for natural language processing. In this context, BFSA have to be enriched with notions of proximity, optionality and contextual information. Some concrete examples are examined. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. [References: 17]
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