A method for processing natural language includes generating a first layer of a multi-layer knowledge network including a plurality of word nodes arranged to represent a word or an entity name, generating a second layer of the multi-layer knowledge network with a natural language dataset, the second layer including one or more instance nodes arranged to represent a word or an entity of the natural language dataset, each of the instance nodes being linked by one or more semantic or syntactic relations to form one or more sub-graphs, and, referencing the first layer of the multi-layer knowledge network with the second layer of the multi-layer knowledge network by establishing a reference between each of the word nodes and each of the instance nodes when the word or the entity name represented by each word node is associated with the word or the entity represented by the instance node.