LINGUIST List 9.77
Sun Jan 18 1998
FYI: Tromso, Internship, O-Hayo Sensei
Editor for this issue: Brett Churchill <brettlinguistlist.org>
Directory
Tromso Linguistics, Tromso graduate programs in linguistics
WS 98 internship, New summer internship in speech and language processing
editor, 69+ English Language-Related Jobs (in Japan) at 50 Institutions
Message 1: Tromso graduate programs in linguistics
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 12:56:58 +0100
From: Tromso Linguistics <ove.lorentzhum.uit.no>
Subject: Tromso graduate programs in linguistics
Graduate programs in linguistics.
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The Department of Linguistics at the University of Tromso, Norway,
offers the following English-taught graduate programs:
1. a one year program giving a specialization in Scandinavian
generative syntax and phonology,
2. a two years program leading to a Master of Philosophy degree,
3. a four years program leading to a Ph.D. degree.
The programs are open to students from all countries. For the programs 1
and 2 students should have a background in linguistics corresponding to
a B.A. or a Norwegian Cand.Mag., with a major in linguistics. For the
Ph.D. program the students should have a background corresponding to an
M.A. in linguistics.
There is no tuition. A limited number of grants are available for
students from Eastern Europe or developing countries.
The one-year program is designed to prepare students for research in
generative syntax and phonology with special attention to the
Scandinavian languages. It consists of lectures, seminars, and
tutorials. The students write two shorter papers in the fall and one
longer paper in the spring. The program corresponds to the first year of
the M.Phil. program (the Norwegian hovedfag), and thus corresponds
roughly to a British or American M.A.
The M.Phil. program puts special emphasis on the comparative perspective
in syntax and phonology. The first year of the M.Phil. program is the
same as to the one-year program. In the second year the students write a
supervised thesis, in addition to taking active part in departmental
seminars. The thesis may be on a topic relating to their native
language. In general, in all of our programs, students are encouraged to
work on their native language, especially in the case of less well known
or less well studied languages.
The Ph.D. program consists of course work and a dissertation.
For students who wish to pursue higher studies in generative linguistics
these programs offer an opportunity to acquire a solid grounding in
recent models in generative phonology and syntax, applied to a variety
of languages, including the Scandinavian languages, a group of languages
which have proven to be a fruitful area of research using recently
developed grammatical models.
Instruction is in English. Proficiency in Norwegian or any other
Scandinavian language is not required, nor is any previous knowledge of
Scandinavian grammar. Those who wish may follow a course in Norwegian
for foreigners.
The teachers include Toril Fiva, Anders Holmberg and Knut Tarald
Taraldsen (syntax), Ove Lorentz (phonology), Thorbjorg Hroarsdottir
(Icelandic and historical syntax). Linguists from other departments and
universities are invited to contribute at various points.
The deadline for applications for 1998-1999 is March 1, 1998 for those
who wish to be considered for a grant. For application forms and further
information, contact
Anders Holmberg
Department of Linguistics
University of Tromso
N-9037 Tromso, Norway
phone: 47-77645616
fax: 47-77645625
e-mail: anders.holmberghum.uit.no
http://www.hum.uit.no/lingvistikk/index.html
-
Ove Lorentz, Linguistics Dept., University of Tromso, 9037 Tromso, Norway.
Telephone +47 7764-4267. Telefax +47 7764-5625. Messages +47 7764-4240.
Message 2: New summer internship in speech and language processing
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 14:52:38 -0500
From: WS 98 internship <ws98ishpchallenge.clsp.jhu.edu>
Subject: New summer internship in speech and language processing
NEW UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER INTERNSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for Language and Speech Processing at the Johns Hopkins
University is seeking outstanding members of the current junior class to
participate in a summer workshop on language engineering from June 29 to
August 21, 1998.
No limitation is placed on the undergraduate major. Only relevant skills,
employment experience, past academic record and the strength of letters of
recommendation will be considered. Students of Biomedical Engineering,
Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Electrical Engineering, Linguistics,
Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, etc. may apply. Women and minorities
are encouraged to apply.
* An opportunity to explore an exciting new area of research;
* A two week tutorial on speech and language technology;
* Mentoring by an experienced researcher;
* Use of a computer workstation throughout the workshop;
* A $4800 stipend and $1680 towards per diem expenses;
* Private accommodation for 8 weeks covering the workshop;
* Travel expenses to and from the workshop venue;
* Participation in project planning activities.
The workshop provides a vigorously stimulating and enriching intellectual
environment and hopes to attract students to eventually pursue graduate
study or research in the field of human language technologies.
Application forms are available via the internet or by mail. Electronic
submission of applications is strongly encouraged. Applications must be
received at CLSP by 30th Jan., 1998. For details, contact CLSP, Barton
Hall, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, visit our web site at
http://www.clsp.jhu.edu, or call 410 516 4237.
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PRELIMINARY WORKSHOP INFORMATION
Automated systems that interact with human users in naturally spoken
language will greatly enhance productivity and program usability. Such
interfaces will act as on- and off-ramps to the information super-highway,
allowing user-friendly access to services. In other tasks, such as
accessing a database of maintenance manuals while performing intricate
repairs, and for handicapped users, enhancing the interface with speech is
essential, not just a convenience. Yet other applications are conversion
of phone mail to text, transcription of radio or television programs,
translation of data from one language to another, and information
retrieval.
While speech systems have made a commercial appearance, mostly in the form
of personal dictation systems, recognition technology is still inadequate
in many respects for the tasks listed above. For instance, automatic
recognition of natural conversational speech results in incorrect
transcription of one-third of the words spoken. Mechanical translations of
technical manuals from English to Spanish result in confusing and
ungrammatical instructions. Even parsing sentences from newspaper
articles, which one may expect to be easy due to their professional
editing, leads to faulty automatic analysis of half the sentences.
There is need to make progress in this important field. The number of
available personnel educated in the field is small and relatively few
universities presently educate students capable of performing the required
tasks.
We are organizing a six week workshop on Language Engineering at the Johns
Hopkins University from July 13 to August 24, 1998, in which mixed teams
of professionals and students will work together to advance the state of
the art. The professionals will be university professors and leading
industrial and government researchers presently working in widely
dispersed locations. Six or more undergraduate students will be selected
through a nationwide search from the current junior class based on
outstanding academic promise. Graduate students will be selected in
accordance with their demonstrated research performance.
Three topics of research for this workshop were determined by a group of
leading professionals in the field:
1. Dynamic Segmental Models of Speech Coarticulation.
2. Rapid Speech Recognizer Adaptation for New Speakers.
3. Core NLP Technology Applicable to Multiple Languages.
The Center for Language and Speech Processing has successfully organized
similar workshops for the last three summers.
Visit the CLSP web pages for project details and information about past
workshops.
Message 3: 69+ English Language-Related Jobs (in Japan) at 50 Institutions
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 13:35:10 -0800
From: editor <editorohayosensei.com>
Subject: 69+ English Language-Related Jobs (in Japan) at 50 Institutions
Just a note to Linguist subscribers that O-Hayo Sensei, the free e-mail
newsletter of English language-related jobs in Japan, has entered its sixth
year of twice-monthly publication with the 1/16/98 issue. The current issue
lists 69+ open positions at 50 different institutions (from conversation
schools to universities) across Japan.
O-Hayo Sensei still accepts no fee from institutions for listing positions,
and offers each issue free to readers for the asking.
You can pick up the current issue by sending an e-mail message with just
the words "get issue" in the body (or subject line) to
mailto:issueohayosensei.com (the complete issue will be e-mailed back
within a few hours). Or you can request an issue at the WWW site
http://www.ohayosensei.com
As always, we wish you good luck in your language-related Japan job search.
Lynn Cullivan
Publisher
O-Hayo Sensei, The Newsletter of English Teaching Jobs in Japan
editorohayosensei.com
<http://www.ohayosensei.com>;