LINGUIST List 2.874

Wed 18 Dec 1991

FYI: Phonological Database, DIMACS Workshop

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1. Ron "W." "P." Brasington, Announcement of Prolog interface to UPSID
2. Eric Sven Ristad, DIMACS Workshop on Human Language

A PROLOG INTERFACE TO UPSID
This is a prototype tool designed to access the information on 317
phonological systems contained in UPSID. UPSID is the UCLA Phonological
Segment Inventory Database developed by Ian Maddieson at the University of
California, Los Angeles. The data files used here are derived from the
original UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics (WPP 53, Nov. 1981). But see
Maddieson, I. (1985). Patterns of sounds. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, for more details and more recent developments.
The interface is written in LPA MacProlog.3.0.1. and may be used for simple
queries by issuing menu commands from the system specific menus: FAMILIES,
TEXT and PLOT. Users familiar with Prolog are able to construct more complex
searches taking advantage of the relations provided by the system. A full
manual (Microsoft Word format) accompanies the archive.
The interface is public domain but LPA MacProlog is required to run the
system. The demo version of LPA MacProlog (found on various servers) will run
everything except that the data files must in this case be loaded via the
normal Prolog File menu rather the UPSID Families menu.
The interface was written during the summer of 1990 for use in an autumn term
undergraduate course on universals. Some modifications were made during that
session but I haven't yet found the opportunity for further changes and
additions. Comments and suggestions in the meantime would be very welcome.
Ron Brasington
Ron.Brasingtonuk.ac.reading
Department of Linguistic Science
FOLSS
University of Reading
Whiteknights
Reading
RG6 2AA, UK.
[Moderators' Note: These files are obtainable from the LINGUIST
listserv. There are four of them:
UPSID TEXT (UPSID Readme File)
UPSIDDAT HQX (Binhexed Data-file for UPSID)
UPSIDINT HQX (Binhexed UPSID Interface)
UPSIDMAN HQX (Binhexed UPSID Manual in WORD)
You can obtain them by sending listservtamvm1 (Bitnet) and
listservtamvm1.tamu.edu (Internet) the message:
get <fn> <ftype> linguist
e.g. to get the manual send the message:
GET UPSIDMAN HQX LINGUIST
]

 DIMACS Workshop on Human Language
 March 20--22, 1992
 Princeton, NJ
SCOPE. The research goal of the workshop is to better
understand the computations performed in the comprehension,
production, and acquisition of human languages. The workshop
will focus on language computations related to linguistic sounds
(phonology) and word structure (morphology).
Unfortunately, there are no established professional meetings or
publications devoted to this topic. The purpose of this first
workshop is to get computer scientists and language researchers
to work together on the design of a language model that is both
computationally sophisticated and empirically sound.
Therefore, participants will consist primarily of prominent
theoretical computer scientists and language researchers.
Theoreticians will survey theoretical methods of potential
relevance to human language, while language researchers will
define relevant computational problems in human language. (A
computational problem is relevant if it is solved by the
language user in the comprehension, production, and acquisition
of languages.)
SPEAKERS. Confirmed speakers include: Steven Anderson, Eric
Baum, Elan Drescher, John Goldsmith, Morris Halle, Andras
Kornai, Alec Marantz, John McCarthy, Silvio Micali, George
Miller, Alan Prince, Jorma Rissanen, Eric Ristad, Daniel
Sleator, Les Valiant, Jean-Roger Vergnaud, Paul Vitanyi, and
Edwin Williams.
FORMAT. The workshop will be held at the Department of Computer
Science, Princeton University, from Friday through Sunday March
20--22, 1992. It will include approximately twenty
presentations, as well as informal discussion sessions. We plan
to document our current understanding of human language
computations with a substantive refereed proceedings, that will
include a list of relevant computational problems in this area.
CONTRIBUTIONS. If you would like to contribute such a problem
to the workshop, please send five copies of a two page abstract
by January 10, 1992 to Eric Ristad at the address below. This
is a FIRM deadline. Abstracts must motivate and then precisely
define a relevant computational problem in the domain of
phonology or morphology, and should contain appropriate
references to the literature. Please include your name,
affiliation, email address, and telephone numbers. Authors will
be notified of acceptance February 1, 1992.
LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS. Travel and accommodation information is
available from Ms. Claire Dinsmore, Department of Computer
Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2087,
telephone 609-258-6339, email cleoprinceton.edu. Travel support
for graduate students may be available from DIMACS.
ORGANIZERS.
Eric Sven Ristad			Stephen Levinson
Department of Computer Science		AT&T Bell Laboratories
Princeton University			600 Mountain Ave.
Princeton, NJ 08544-2087		Murray Hill, NJ 07974
ristadprinceton.edu			selresearch.att.com