An Incremental Framework for Topological Dialogue Semantics: Efficient Reasoning in Discrete Spaces

Abstract: We present a tractable, incremental framework for topological dialogue semantics based on finite, discrete semantic spaces. Building on the intuition that utterances correspond to open sets and their combinatorial relations form a simplicial complex (the dialogue nerve), we give a rigorous foundation, a provably correct incremental algorithm for nerve updates, and a reference implementation in the Wolfram Language. The framework supports negative nerve computation (inconsistency tracking), consequence extraction, and a transparent, set-theoretic ranking of entailments. We clarify which combinatorial properties hold in the discrete case, provide motivating examples, and outline limitations and prospects for richer logical and categorical extensions.