Tokenization
Tokenization is an essential step in natural language processing (NLP) that breaks down raw text into smaller units, known as tokens. These tokens are typically words or sentences, which are manageable pieces that allow machines to analyze language more effectively.
Types of Tokenization
- Word Tokenization: This involves taking sentences and splitting them into individual words. For example, the sentence "I love NLP" would be tokenized into the tokens: ["I", "love", "NLP"].
- Sentence Tokenization: This technique breaks down text into its constituent sentences. For example, the paragraph "NLP is fascinating. It’s transforming technology." would be tokenized into: ["NLP is fascinating.", "It’s transforming technology."].
Importance of Tokenization
Tokenization is crucial in NLP as it allows for detailed analysis of language. By converting text into tokens, further processing can be accomplished without the complications of raw text structure. This lays the groundwork for additional tasks such as part-of-speech tagging, parsing, and semantic analysis, ultimately contributing to the machine's understanding of human language.