Research Groups
Active Learning for Annotation (ALFA)
- Project Leader:Eric Ringger
- Phone: (801) 422-7615
- Website: http://nlp.cs.byu.edu
- Meetings: Tuesdays 2:00-3:00 pm
- Focus: Using a machine learning approach, active learning, to more efficiently annotate text and speech corpora with such features as part of speech, shallow syntax and semantics, etc. Note: Linguistics students should contact Deryle Lonsdale (422-4067, lonz@byu.edu) for more information.
Analogical Modeling Research Group
- Project Leader: Royal Skousen
- Phone: (801) 422-3482
- Website: http://humanities.byu.edu/am/
- Meetings:
- Focus: An exemplar-driven, non-rule-based method for
language modeling that predicts behaviors from a feature-oriented
specification of instances. We work on applications, studying and
modifying the algorithm (especially in terms of quantum computing), and
comparing the approach to other architectural methods of language
modeling. This semester the group will be meeting jointly with the Data-based Linguistics Research Group.
Customized Video Playback Group
- Project Leader: Alan Melby
- Meetings: By appointment.
- Focus: The Electronic Film Review project (using feature films in DVD format to support teaching), VAD (a format based on MPEG-7), and Video Clip Playlists. Note: When contacting Dr. Melby by email include the research group name in the subject line.
Data-based Linguistics
- Project Leader: Mark Davies
- Phone: (801) 422-9168
- Meetings:
- Focus:Data-driven and corpus-based approaches to linguistic description, analysis, production, and modeling. This semester the group will be meeting jointly with the Analogical Modeling Research Group.
Data Extraction Group
- Project Leader: David Embley
- Website: http://www.deg.byu.edu
- Meetings: Thursdays 3:30-4:30 pm
- Focus: Conceptual modeling, extraction and structuring of
data from unstructured and semi-structured electronic documents, such
as those found on the Web and in many different data warehouses. Note:
Linguistics students should contact Deryle Lonsdale (422-4067,
lonz@byu.edu) for information
Editing/Information Design Research Group
- Project Leader:Alan Manning
- Phone: (801) 422-2974
- Website: http://linguistics.byu.edu/classes/Ling580am
- Meetings: By appointment
- Focus: We're reviewing applied linguistics research with implications for editing and information design. The aim is to explore the literature and design new research projects in this area, and to help working editors develop portfolios in which editorial decisions are annotated with explanations of linguistic principles governing those decisions. Students can participate for 580R credit, but other interested faculty and students are welcome to sample our reading list and our recent published work, and/or discuss and develop new research projects.
Emily Dickinson Lexicon Project
Forensic Linguistics Student Research Group
- Project Leaders: Annie and Parker
- E-mails: mlannie@gmail.com (annie)/ haacon1@gmail.com (parker)
- Meetings: as needed
- Focus: Forensic Linguistics is the study of language and law. Some areas linguists have traditionally done work in are: author/speaker identification, misleading or confusing language used in the legal system, plagiarism, trademark infringement, lingual-cultural markers of asylum seekers.
Language Mobile Tech Research Group
- Project Leader: Jarom McDonald
- Phone: (801) 709-1556
- Website: http://humdev.byu.edu/trac/iphone
- Meetings: As needed
- Focus: We're working to collaboratively develop an intelligent, smartphone application that will diagnose, ameliorate, and then re-assess language pronunciation. Throughout the semester we will learn about mobile technology in the Humanities, specifically foreign language instruction, by focusing on pushing existing applications on the Apple iPhone and Google Android further than they've currently been developed. We meet in a seminar format as a CHum 450 class. Note: Linguistics students should contact Deryle Lonsdale (422-4067, lonz@byu.edu) for more information.
PSST! (Pedagogical Software and Speech Technology)
- Project Leaders: Ray Graham and Deryle Lonsdale
- Phone: (801) 422-2208
- Website: http://linguistics.byu.edu/psst
- Meetings: Weekly: Fridays 3:00-4:00 pm in 4068 JFSB
- Focus: Use of speech technology in language learning:
existing speech technology, pedagogical needs, and technological tools
development for language learning.
Second Language Acquisition Research Group
- Project Leaders: Dan Dewey
- Phone: (801) 422-6005
- Meetings:
- Focus: Studies acquisition of additional languages by adult learners. Recently exploring language development of learners in campus Foreign Language Residences and in BYU study abroad programs.
Soar and NL-Soar
- Project Leader: Deryle Lonsdale
- Phone: (801) 422-4067
- Website: http://linguistics.byu.edu/nlsoar
- Meetings:TBA
- Focus: Intelligent agent architectures, cognitive modeling of language use, parsing, semantics and pragmatic/discourse processing.
Spoken Language Identification
- Project Leader:Eric Ringger
- Phone: (801) 422-7165
- Website: http://nlp.cs.byu.edu
- Meetings: Weekly TBA
- Focus:Using statistical and feature-based methods of speech processing to automatically detect which language a person is speaking on a telephone. Note: Linguistics students should contact Deryle Lonsdale (422-4067, lonz@byu.edu) for more information.
Statistical Natural Language Processing
- Project Leader:Eric Ringger
- Phone: (801) 422-7615
- Website: http://nlp.cs.byu.edu
- Meetings: Tuesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
- Focus:Statistical methods of processing natural language, including parsing, generating, text classification, and machine translation. Note: Linguistics students should contact Deryle Lonsdale (422-4067, lonz@byu.edu) for more information.
Syriac Language Resource Development
- Project Leader:Kristian Heal
- Phone: (801) 422-9019
- Meetings: Tuesdays 2:00-3:00 pm
- Focus:Using state-of-the-art techniques to collect, annotate, and deploy language resources (corpora, lexicons) for the Syriac language. Note: Linguistics students should contact Deryle Lonsdale (422-4067, lonz@byu.edu) for more information.
Technology and Language Learning
- Project Leader: Alan Melby
- Phone: (801) 422-2144
- Meetings: By appointment.
- Focus:Using EFR and TBX for language learning, QuickEnglish, and the Language Training, Assessment, and Certification consortium. Note: When contacting Dr. Melby by email include the research group name in the subject line.
TESOL Program Assessment Research Group
- Project Leaders: Lynn Henrichsen and Mark Tanner
- Phone: (801) 422-2938 (Henrichsen), 422-8154 (Tanner)
- Meetings:
- Focus: Assessment of various aspects of TESOL teacher-preparation programs (especially ours) to determine their nature and worth (validity, usability, etc.). Also, investigations of the career paths that TESOL graduates follow and moderator variables (coursework completed, L1, gender, national origin, etc.) that affect their careers after graduation. The results of our recent TESOL alumni survey (with nearly 300 respondents) constitute a major data source for research in this area. This group's overall goal is to provide an empirical foundation for designing the curricula of teacher-preparation programs in TESOL.
Translation Research Group
- Project Leader: Alan Melby
- Phone: (801) 422-2124
- Website: http://www.ttt.org
- Meetings: Irregularly / as necessary
- Focus: Translation technology: tools for human translators,
data exchange and content markup standards, tools integration from
multiple vendors, support for product Globalization,
Internationalization, and Localization (GIL). Examples include the TBX and ASTM F15.48 standards. Note: When contacting Dr. Melby by email include the research group name in the subject line.
