There have been some great software recommendations in this thread, that 
I really don't want to quibble with. What I'd like to quibble with is 
the software-first approach. We've all tried the software-first 
approach, how many of us were happy with it?

There is a standard in this area and that standard appears to have at 
least two non-trivial implementations, including from one software 
distributor whose name we all recognise.

SPEC: http://docs.oasis-open.org/uima/v1.0/uima-v1.0.html
APACHE UIMA: http://uima.apache.org/
GATE: http://gate.ac.uk/

Anyone have experience using the standard or these two implementations?

cheers
stuart

-- 
Stuart Yeates
Library Technology Services http://www.victoria.ac.nz/library/