LINGUIST List 16.2671

Thu Sep 15 2005

Calls: Computational Ling/UK;General Ling/UK

Editor for this issue: Megan Zdrojkowski <meganlinguistlist.org>

Directory

        1.    Johan Bos, Inference in Computational Semantics
         2.    Emmanuel Defay, Revisiting Advanced Varieties in L2 Learning
Message 1: Inference in Computational Semantics
Date: 15-Sep-2005
From: Johan Bos <jbosinf.ed.ac.uk>
Subject: Inference in Computational Semantics



Full Title: Inference in Computational Semantics
Short Title: ICoS-5

Date: 20-Apr-2006 - 21-Apr-2006
Location: Buxton, England, United Kingdom
Contact Person: Johan Bos
Meeting Email: < click here to access email >
Web Site: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~ipratt/ICoS-5/

Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics; Semantics

Call Deadline: 16-Jan-2006

Meeting Description:

The next International workshop on Inference in Computational Semantics (ICoS-5) will take place from 20th-21st April at the University of Derby College, Buxton, England. ICoS-5 is intended to bring together researchers interested in inference-oriented NLP from areas such as Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Formal Semantics, and Logic.

ABOUT ICOS

Natural Language Processing has reached a stage where the exploration and development of inference is one of its most pressing tasks. On the theoretical side, it is clear that inference plays a key role in such areas as semantic construction and the management of discourse and dialogue. On the practical side, the use of sophisticated inference methods could lead to improvements in application areas such as natural language generation, automatic question answering, and spoken dialogue systems.

ICoS-5 is intended to bring together researchers interested in inference-oriented NLP from areas such as Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Formal Semantics, and Logic.

We invite submissions addressing the theme of inference in computational semantics broadly construed. Subjects relevant to ICoS-5 include but are not restricted to:

- natural language generation
- natural language pragmatics
- discourse and dialogue processing
- (spoken) dialogue systems
- underspecified representations
- ambiguity resolution
- interfacing lexical and computational semantics
- lexically-driven inference
- inference for shallow semantics
- inference in question answering
- recognising textual entailment
- background knowledge: use and acquisition
- applications of semantic resources
(e.g. CYC, WordNet, FrameNet, PropBank, ontologies)
- automatic ontology creation
- common-sense reasoning in NLP
- temporal and epistemic reasoning
- resource-bounded inference
- applications of automated reasoning
(e.g. model building, model checking, theorem proving)
- alternative inference strategies
(e.g. abduction, nonmonotonic reasoning, default)
- decidable fragments of natural language
- controlled languages
- natural language inference in decidable logics
(e.g. description logic)
- probabilistic and statistical approaches to inference
- machine learning and inference
- inference and information extraction and/or text mining
- novel applications (e.g. semantic web)
- evaluation methodolgies and resources for inference
- robustness and scalability of inference
- system descriptions

Submitted papers should not exceed 10 pages (A4, single column, 12 point font) including references. All submissions must be in PDF, and must be sent by email to icos5coli.uni-sb.de.

SYSTEM DEMONSTRATIONS

We also encourage submission of papers describing systems that show aspects of inference in computational semantics. There will be a separate slot at the workshop where people can demonstrate their systems. System descriptions should follow the same submission guidelines as regular papers.

IMPORTANT DATES

Submission Deadline: January 16, 2006.
Notification: February 20, 2006.
Final Versions: March 20, 2006.
Conference: April 20-21, 2006.

INVITED SPEAKERS

TBA

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

-Carlos Areces
-Peter Baumgartner
-Christoph Benzmueller
-Raffaella Bernardi
-Patrick Blackburn
-Johan Bos (co-chair)
-Harry Bunt
-Ann Copestake
-Dick Crouch
-Ido Dagan
-Kees van Deemter
-Nissim Francez
-Claire Gardent
-Alexander Koller (co-chair)
-Shalom Lappin
-Alex Lascarides
-Bernardo Magnini
-Katja Markert
-Dan Moldovan
-Jeff Pelletier
-Maarten de Rijke
-Michael Schiehlen
-Matthew Stone
-Bonnie Webber

PUBLICATION

As well as producing the workshop proceedings, we plan to publish a selection of accepted papers as a book or special issue of a journal.


Message 2: Revisiting Advanced Varieties in L2 Learning
Date: 13-Sep-2005
From: Emmanuel Defay <emmanuel.defayuniv-lyon2.fr>
Subject: Revisiting Advanced Varieties in L2 Learning



Full Title: Revisiting Advanced Varieties in L2 Learning

Date: 09-Jun-2006 - 10-Jun-2006
Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom
Contact Person: Emmanuelle Labeau
Meeting Email: < click here to access email >
Web Site: http://www.afls.net

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics

Call Deadline: 31-Jan-2006

Meeting Description:

The present workshop aims at:

1. Clarifying the concept of ‘advanced learner’. What is it? How does it
relate to ‘native speaker’ or ‘near-native speaker’ How does advancement
translate in terms of, for e.g., mental representations of formal
features, or in terms of sociolinguistic and pragmatic knowledge?

2, Providing new evidence for the understanding of advanced varieties in
areas such as lexical development, nominal and verbal morphology; mood,
tense and aspect; syntax; discursive, sociolinguistic or pragmatic
competence etc… on the basis of the various approaches.

The workshop will focus in the first instance on L2 French but
contributions on other languages are more than welcome, be it the studies
of other Romance Languages, contrastive studies or studies that provide
general insight into advanced varieties.


Revisiting advanced varieties in L2 learning
Aston University, Birmingham (UK), Friday 9th - Saturday 10th June 2006
Supported by the Association for French Language Studies (AFLS) and the
Institute for the Study of Language and Society (ISLS)

Practical Information

Abstract deadline: 31st January 2006
Language: English or French
Proposal: Anonymous abstract of max. 400 words sent as an attachment
(word Document) to an email message containing the author's name and
affiliation, and the title.
Submission: Send all proposals to e.labeauaston.ac.uk
Organisatrices : Prof. Florence Myles, Newcastle University
Dr Emmanuelle Labeau, Aston University

References:
Birdsong, D. (2005). Interpreting age effects in second language
acquisition. In Kroll, J. & A. De Groot (Eds.), Handbook of Bilingualism:
Psycholinguistic Perspectives (pp. 109-127). Cambridge: Cambridge U.
Press.

Dewaele, J.M. (2004) The acquisition of sociolinguistic competence in
French as a foreign language: An overview. In Myles, F. & R. Towell
(eds.), The acquisition of French as a second language . Special issue of
Journal of French Language Studies , 14, 301-319.

Howard, M. (2002) 'L'acquisition des temps du passé en français par
l'apprenant dit avancé: une approche lexicale', in LABEAU, E. & LARRIVÉE,
P. (dir.), Les temps du passé français et leur enseignement. pp. 181-204.

Kihlstedt, M. (1998) La référence au passé dans le dialogue: Etude de
l'acqui-sition de la temporalité chez des apprenants dits avancés de
français (Cahiers de la Recherche 6). Stockholm: G. Engwall & J. Nystedt
ed.

Labeau, E. (2002) The Acquisition of French Past Tenses by tutored
Anglophone advanced Learners: Is Aspect enough?. Unpublished PhD Thesis,
Aston University.

Labeau, E. (2005) ) Beyond the Aspect Hypothesis : Tense-Aspect
Development in advanced L2 French. Peter Lang, Contemporary Studies in
Descriptive Linguistics vol.5

Regan, V. & R. Bayley (eds.) Sociolinguistics and Second Language
Acquisition , Special issue of the Journal of Sociolinguistics , 8 (3)

Salaberry, R. (2000) The development of past tense morphology in L2
Spanish. Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins (Studies in
Bilingualism 22).