electiveHQ

Human Language Technology is a term which encompasses computational modelling of both language and speech. This module is structured in such a way as to present important concepts of speech and language technology research and how these concepts are used in practical applications. The module integrates theory and applications via a combination of lectures, workshop sessions and practical assignments. The module introduction is devoted to a brief overview of the underlying linguistic aspects of human language technologies, presented in terms of problems which have to be addressed when developing specific applications. An initial distinction is drawn between knowledge-based linguistic approaches and data-driven corpus-based approaches and examples of each are discussed in the context of the role they play in the domain of Computer Science and domain of Linguistics. The module then presents computational models of phonology, morphology, lexicon and syntax, all of which have a role to play in practical language technology applications. An overview of resources, toolkits and evaluation methodologies is provided and the principles of speech recognition, speech synthesis and other language technology applications are presented where knowledge-based and data-driven approaches are often combined.