Einführung in die Computerlinguistik I /
Introduction to Computational Linguistics
(10-82-1-M2-1: ECTS: 2)
S 2 SWS Mi von 15:15 - 16:45 SFG 1020

John Bateman

THIS COURSE HAS NOW ENDED. PART II OF THE MODULE RUNS IN THE SUMMER SEMESTER 2009.

THE PROVISIONAL GRADES FOR THIS PART OF THE MODULE CAN BE FOUND HERE.

YOU CAN MAKE MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ME IF YOU WISH TO DISCUSS DETAILS OF THE GRADING OR YOUR SOLUTIONS

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Course Schedule (WS 2008/2009)
[updated 29.1.2009]
[Addition: a KPML lexicon file for the exercise, for those who want to see how one might look (make sure that you remove the .txt extension as usual before having it loaded into KPML: see below for instructions]
1

22.10.2008

Orientation:
what is computational linguistics?

Introduction and first activities:

Reading:

  • Carstensen, K.U. / Ch. Ebert / C. Endriss / S. Jekat / R. Klabunde / H. Langer (eds.)(2001) Computerlinguistik und Sprachtechnologie: Eine Einführung. Chapter 1: 'Computerlinguistik - Was ist das?' (pp1-24; pdf with password)
  • The references for this book, also relevant for the readings below, can be looked at here.
2

29.10.2008

Natural Language Generation: I

Remember to bring your laptops with you if you can to this and all subsequent sessions! Note: if you are running Linux on your Laptop: go here.
3

5.11.2008

Natural Language Generation: II

  • Practical Work
4

12.11.2008

Natural Language Generation: III

  • Producing texts: discourse and text linguistics
  • Problems
  • Algorithms, what is a...? (wikipedia)
  • Uses of generation grammars: multilinguality, language documentation, reference grammars, ... (pdf)

Homework:
5

19.11.2008

Semantics and Logic

  • Logic: basics (introductory reading below) (logic)
  • Semantics and logic (some overheads: semantics)
  • Semantics for natural language generation (tutorial)
  • Computational systems for reasoning: description logics

Reading

  • Meyer, Paul Georg et al. (2002) Synchronic English Linguistics: an introduction. Tübingen: Narr, Studienbuch. §4.5, pp118-132. (pdf: 2.6Mb; password protected)

Homework:
 

26.11.2008

No session: independent study
6

3.12.2008

Systemic-functional grammar for generation

Activity:

  • Checking progress of the grammar writing exercise
  • Instructions for saving grammars (saving instructions) OR you can write them in a text file following the following format (grammar format)
  • You can also add lexical items to your grammar by adding entries of this format into a separate lexicon file.

Homework:

  • Downloading and installing two systems for analysing languages with grammars:
    • Jürgen Reischer's (University of Regensburg) program (download and unzip)
    • and WinPatr (download, unzip, and run setup.exe)
7

10.12.2008

Grammars and Syntax: Phrase Structure Grammars

Activity:

  • What kinds of grammars are there and what properties do they have?
  • Writing phrase structure grammars for analysing sentences

Materials:

  • Instructions for using Reischer's program 'Linguistic Structures' (pdf)
  • A simple grammar for the program (cfg.txt) Don't forget to get rid of the .txt extension!!! This is just so that you can download it!!!

Homework:

  • Converting the previous simple grammar to WinPatr Format
  • Looking at the following examples with WinPatr (exercise)

Reading:

  • Carstensen, K.U. / Ch. Ebert / C. Endriss / S. Jekat / R. Klabunde / H. Langer (eds.)(2001) Computerlinguistik und Sprachtechnologie: Eine Einführung. Chapter 2.3: 'Graphentheorie und Merkmalstrukturen' (pp87-106)
8

17.12.2008

Grammars and Syntax: Phrase Structure and Feature Structures

Activity:

  • Feature Structures and Unification (unification grammar example)
  • Working with PATR

Materials

  • Overheads that we will use in class on unification and grammar (pdf)
  • Unification exercises that we will work thorugh in class (pdf)

Homework:

  • Unification grammar exercise for the break
  • Downloading and installing the Prolog system SWI Prolog (info, download)

Reading:

  • Carstensen, K.U. / Ch. Ebert / C. Endriss / S. Jekat / R. Klabunde / H. Langer (eds.)(2001) Computerlinguistik und Sprachtechnologie: Eine Einführung. Chapter 2.3: 'Graphentheorie und Merkmalstrukturen' (pp87-106)

Christmas break
9

7.1.2009

Programming in Logic: Prolog

Activity:

  • First prolog programs: turning algorithms into logic and logic into algorithms
  • Basics:
    • facts, rules and queries
    • backtracking: drawing the search tree
  • And here are the overheads (pdf) for this session.

Reading:

  • Carstensen, K.U. / Ch. Ebert / C. Endriss / S. Jekat / R. Klabunde / H. Langer (eds.)(2001) Computerlinguistik und Sprachtechnologie: Eine Einführung. Chapter 3.3: 'Syntax and Parsing' (pp203-223; pdf with password)

Homework:

  • a little Prolog exercise: the search tree exercise
    (see last overheads of the session)

 
10

14.1.2009

Programming in Logic: Prolog II

Activity:

  • Checking homework solutions to the Prolog exercise (solution)
  • Introduction to Recursion (overheads)
11

21.1.2009

Programming in Logic: Prolog III

Activity:

  • Using Lists and Recursion for programming:
    the essence of Prolog programming for computational linguistics
    (overheads)
12

28.1.2009

Wrapping up our first look at programming with Prolog...

  • Writing unification grammars in Prolog: Definite Clause Grammars (DCG)
    (overheads)
13

4.2.2009

Independent work on the three tasks for assessment
13+ by arrangement

Discussion of assessment problems by arrangement up until the end of February