16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the output MTA has weighted transitions.
12. In a system for processing natural language, a method for intersecting tapes of a first multi-tape automaton (MTA) and a second MTA, with each MTA having a plurality of tapes and a plurality of paths, comprising: (a) composing the first MTA and the second MTA by intersecting a first tape of the first MTA with a first tape of the second MTA to produce an output MTA; the first tape of the first MTA and the first tape of the second MTA corresponding to a first intersected tape and a second intersected tape of the output MTA, respectively; and (b) removing at least one of the first and the second intersected tapes from the output MTA while preserving all its other tapes without modification.