The Linguistic-Semantic Chunking (LSC) Algorithm

An interactive exploration of a multi-layered, principled design for text coherence in the age of Large Language Models.

The Chunking Dilemma

Effective text chunking is a balancing act. The goal is to create chunks small enough for precision but large enough to retain meaning. Most methods fail, leading to two critical problems: Context Fragmentation and Semantic Dilution. This section demonstrates these failures.

Example Text

Marie Curie was a physicist and chemist whose research on radioactivity laid the foundation for modern nuclear science. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner of her first Nobel Prize, making them the first-ever married couple to win the Nobel Prize.

Test the Strategies

Click the buttons to see how naive chunking strategies can break the text's semantic integrity.

A Tour of Chunking Paradigms

The evolution of chunking can be seen as a progression through several paradigms. Each attempts to find the ideal semantically coherent unit, but with significant trade-offs. Select a paradigm below to compare its approach and effectiveness.

The Linguistic-Semantic Chunking (LSC) Algorithm

The LSC algorithm moves beyond simple splitting and topical similarity. It models a document as a multi-layered graph of meaning, integrating deep linguistic analysis to create truly coherent chunks. Explore its four-layer pipeline by clicking on each stage below.

Select a layer on the left to see its details.

Rethinking Evaluation

Standard metrics fail to measure what truly matters: the internal coherence of a chunk. We propose a new suite of linguistically-motivated metrics that assess the actual quality and self-containment of the generated chunks.

Future Trajectories

The field is evolving rapidly. While LSC offers a robust solution for today's challenges, new research is exploring paradigms that could reduce or even eliminate the need for pre-chunking, focusing instead on model architecture and data curation.

Chunking-Free Retrieval

Approaches like Chunking-Free In-Context Retrieval (CFIC) aim to bypass the "split-then-embed" pipeline entirely, instead retrieving evidence directly from the hidden states of an entire document. This avoids any risk of context fragmentation.

Data-Centric AI

Frameworks like ProLong focus on improving the LLM's intrinsic abilities by training it on a curated diet of documents rich in genuine long-range dependencies. A better model is less sensitive to imperfect chunking.