A cascading learning system as a normalized semantic search is described. The cascading learning system has a request analyzer, a request dispatcher and classifier, a search module, a terminology manager, and a cluster manager. The request analyzer receives a request for search terms from a client application. The request analyzer has a normalization manager, a semantic parser, and a context builder. The normalization manager normalizes the search terms and generates a normalized semantic request based on a context. The request dispatcher and classifier classifies and dispatches the normalized semantic request to a corresponding domain-specific module that generates a prediction with a trained probability of an expected output. The terminology manager receives the normalized semantic request from the request dispatcher and classifier, and manages terminology stored in a contextual network.