Computer-based natural language understanding of input and output for a computer interlocutor is improved using a method of classifying conversation segments from transcribed conversations. The improvement includes one or more methods of splitting transcribed conversations into groups related to a conversation ontology using metadata; identifying dominant paths of conversational behavior by counting the frequency of occurrences of the behavior for a given path; creating a conversation model comprising conversation behaviors, metadata, and dominant paths; and using the conversation model to assign a probability score for a matched input to the computer interlocutor or a generated output from the computer interlocutor.