Computational linguistics {{otheruses4|the scientific field|the journal|Computational Linguistics (journal)}} {{linguistics}} {{Merge|Natural language processing|date=March 2008}} '''Computational linguistics''' is an [[interdisciplinary]] field dealing with the [[Statistics|statistical]] and/or rule-based modeling of [[natural language]] from a computational perspective. This modeling is not limited to any particular field of [[linguistics]]. Traditionally, computational linguistics was usually performed by [[computer scientist]]s who had specialized in the application of computers to the processing of a [[natural language]]. Recent research has shown that human language is much more complex than previously thought, so computational linguists often work as members of interdisciplinary teams, including linguists (specifically trained in linguistics), language experts (persons with some level of ability in the languages relevant to a given project), and computer scientists. In general computational linguistics draws upon the involvement of linguists, [[computer science|computer scientists]], experts in [[artificial intelligence]], [[cognitive psychology|cognitive psychologists]], [[math]]ematicians, and [[logic]]ians, amongst others. ==Origins== Computational linguistics as a field predates [[artificial intelligence]], a field under which it is often grouped. Computational linguistics originated with efforts in the [[United States]] in the 1950s to use computers to automatically translate texts from foreign languages, particularly [[Russian language|Russian]] scientific journals, into English. John Hutchins: [http://www.hutchinsweb.me.uk/MTS-1999.pdf Retrospect and prospect in computer-based translation.] Proceedings of MT Summit VII, 1999, pp. 30–44. Since computers had proven their ability to do [[arithmetic]] much faster and more accurately than humans, it was thought to be only a short matter of time before the technical details could be taken care of that would allow them the same remarkable capacity to process language. {{Fact|date=July 2008}} When [[machine translation]] (also known as mechanical translation) failed to yield accurate translations right away, automated processing of human languages was recognized as far more complex than had originally been assumed. Computational linguistics was born as the name of the new field of study devoted to developing [[algorithm]]s and [[software]] for intelligently processing language data. When artificial intelligence came into existence in the 1960s, the field of computational linguistics became that sub-division of artificial intelligence dealing with human-level comprehension and production of natural languages.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} In order to translate one language into another, it was observed that one had to understand the [[grammar]] of both languages, including both [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]] (the grammar of word forms) and [[syntax]] (the grammar of sentence structure). In order to understand syntax, one had to also understand the [[semantics]] and the [[lexicon]] (or 'vocabulary'), and even to understand something of the [[pragmatics]] of language use. Thus, what started as an effort to translate between languages evolved into an entire discipline devoted to understanding how to represent and process natural languages using computers.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} ==Subfields== Computational linguistics can be divided into major areas depending upon the medium of the language being processed, whether spoken or textual; and upon the task being performed, whether analyzing language (recognition) or synthesizing language (generation). [[Speech recognition]] and [[speech synthesis]] deal with how spoken language can be understood or created using computers. Parsing and generation are sub-divisions of computational linguistics dealing respectively with taking language apart and putting it together. Machine translation remains the sub-division of computational linguistics dealing with having computers translate between languages. Some of the areas of research that are studied by computational linguistics include: *Computer aided [[corpus linguistics]] *Design of [[parser]]s or [[phrase chunking|chunkers]] for [[natural language]]s *Design of taggers like [[Part-of-speech tagging|POS-taggers (part-of-speech taggers)]] *Definition of specialized logics like resource logics for [[Natural language processing|NLP]] *Research in the relation between formal and natural languages in general *[[Machine translation]], e.g. by a translating computer *[[Computational complexity]] of natural language, largely modeled on [[automata theory]], with the application of [[context-sensitive grammar]] and [[Linear bounded automaton|linearly-bounded]] [[Turing machine]]s. The [[Association for Computational Linguistics]] defines computational linguistics as: :...the scientific study of [[language]] from a computational perspective. Computational linguists are interested in providing [[computational model]]s of various kinds of linguistic phenomena. ==See also== {| | valign=top | * [[Artificial intelligence]] * [[Association for Computational Linguistics]] * [[Collostructional analysis]] * [[Computational lexicology]] * [[Computational Linguistics (journal)]] * [[Computational semantics]] * [[Computational semiotics]] | valign=top | * [[Computer-assisted reviewing]] * [[Dialog systems]] * [[Human speechome project]] * [[Machine translation]] * [[National Centre for Text Mining]] * [[Natural language processing]] * [[Semantic relatedness]] * [[Translation memory]] |} ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == {{WVD}} * [http://www.aclweb.org/ Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL)] ** [http://www.aclweb.org/anthology ACL Anthology of research papers] ** [http://aclweb.org/aclwiki/ ACL Wiki for Computational Linguistics] * [http://www.lt-world.org/ Language Technology World] * [http://www.cs.technion.ac.il/~gabr/resources/resources.html Resources for Text, Speech and Language Processing] * [http://www.gelbukh.com/clbook/ Free online introductory book on Computational Linguistics] * [http://www.CICLing.org/ CICLing annual conferences on Computational Linguistics] [[Category:Computational linguistics|*]] [[Category:Linguistics]] [[Category:Formal sciences]] [[ar:لسانيات حاسوبية]] [[zh-min-nan:Kè-sǹg gí-giân-ha̍k]] [[bg:Компютърна лингвистика]] [[da:Datalingvistik]] [[de:Computerlinguistik]] [[et:Arvutilingvistika]] [[es:Lingüística computacional]] [[eo:Komputila lingvistiko]] [[eu:Hizkuntzalaritza konputazionala]] [[fa:زبان‌شناسی محاسباتی]] [[fr:Linguistique informatique]] [[gl:Lingüística computacional]] [[ko:전산언어학]] [[hr:Računalna lingvistika]] [[it:Linguistica computazionale]] [[he:בלשנות חישובית]] [[lv:Datorlingvistika]] [[ms:Linguistik pengiraan]] [[nl:Computationele taalkunde]] [[ja:計算言語学]] [[nn:Datalingvistikk]] [[pl:Lingwistyka komputerowa]] [[pt:Lingüística computacional]] [[ro:Lingvistică computaţională]] [[ru:Математическая лингвистика]] [[sr:Računarska lingvistika]] [[fi:Tietokonelingvistiikka]] [[th:ภาษาศาสตร์เชิงคำนวณ]] [[zh:计算语言学]]