In the terminal phase of the ACORD project, the idea of documenting relevant results and perspectives grew among most of the involved partners. This book is the outcome of the idea. It completes in a more theoretically perspective the final technical documentation of the project (see p. 6 footnote 1) which is mainly focussed in the description of the integrated demonstrator and of each of its modules. The reader will find in chapter 1 a brief presentation of the general architecture of the ACORD system and pointers to each of the subsequent chapters. These cover the main results and perspectives of the project on grammar formalisms and implementation, for both parsing and generation, graphics and natural language integration, and knowledge base formalism. The production of the book benefited from a fund of Alcatel Alsthom Recherche, from the techni cal assistance of Karine Baschung and from a carefull typographic revision and final preparation of the submitted texts by Sylvie Di Penta. Gabriel G. Bes VI CONTRIBUTORS KARINE BAS CHUNG Formation Doctorale Linguistique et Informatique, Universite Blaise Pascal (Clermont Ferrand II), 34 Avenue Carnot, 63037 Clermont Ferrand Cedex, France. GABRIEL G. BES Formation Doctorale Linguistique et Informatique, Universite Blaise Pascal (Clermont Ferrand II), 34 Avenue Carnot, 63037 Clermont Ferrand Cedex, France. FRIEDRICH DUDDA Triumph-Adler, Hundingst. 11 bd, 8500 Nuremberg, Germany. CLAIRE GARDENT Departement of Philosophy, Facultet der Wisjbegeerte, Heidelberglaan, 2 Postbus 80103,3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. THIERRY GUILLOTIN Centre Scientifique d'IBM France, 3-5 Place Vendome, 75021 Paris Cedex 01, France."