On 12 Nov 2006 15:47:46 -0800, Dodger wrote:
> I was wondering if there was any way to somehow modify a fulltext
> search to be able to match on full synonyms and (perhaps more
> importantly) alternative spellings.
>
> For instance,
>
> INSERT
> INTO some_table (words_text)
> VALUES ('He parked the automobile with its tyres against the kerb.')
>
> SELECT *
> FROM some_table
> WHERE MATCH (words_text)
> AGAINST ('car tires curb')
>
> ...won't match at all, when any English-speaking human can see it
> should.
>
> Hoping for any recommendations on how to deal with this,

Wave a magic wand? I speak English (.us subvarint) natively and would
never expect a search engine to match "tyre" to "tire". As for "kerb" to
"curb", and "car" to "automobile", well, they're different words with
different meaning. For example, "curb" is both a noun and a verb. "Kerb"
is not. "Car" can apply to a railroad wagon, a conveyance hung from
wires, or part of an elevator, above and beyond an automobile. It's not
the job of a search function to account for muddling thinking.

--
59. I will never build a sentient computer smarter than I am.
--Peter Anspach's list of things to do as an Evil Overlord