Course Info Course Topics and approximate Schedule Assignments and Grade Breakdown The usual Stuff including "How to fail this course" Students introduce themselves Natural Language Processing Course Introduction and ROASS Document

Dr. Christel Kemke 524 Machray Hall phone: (204) office hours: Tu, Th 2:00-3:00 pm by appointment Instructor Info

This course introduces the key concepts and methods of Natural Language Processing. General topics include morphology (structure of words), syntax, grammar and parsing (sentence structure), and semantics (meaning of natural language expressions). We will also cover essentials of Speech and Spoken Language Processing. The course will be partly in lecture form and partly in seminar/lab form with student presentations and programming work. The evaluation will be based on written assignments (homework), programming tasks, a programming group project and/or research paper presentation, and an examination component (mid-term/exam). General Course Description

Textbooks on NLP James Allen Natural Language Understanding Benjamin/Cummings, 1995 available in the Bookstore Allen95/al1995co.htm (Uni Giessen)

Textbooks on NLP Dan Jurafsky and James H. Martin Speech and Language Processing Prentice-Hall, available in the Bookstore

Class Structure Classes will comprise of Lectures (Notes to be taken by students) Demos (if possible) Labs (exercises; assignments; playing) Student Presentations (Research Study and Project; my grad students) Discussions, Q&A Sessions, Exercises, Quizzes (as fits)

Course Timeline 1 (Syntax) week 1Introduction and Overview week 2Grammar & Formal Languages; Parsing I week 2English Grammar I; Early Parser week 3Lab Class with Early Parser; Assignment 1 week 4Word Classes; POS Tagging; Morphology week 4English Grammar II week 5Features & Unification week 5(Lab Class) Parsing II

Course Timeline 2 (Semantics) week 6Overview Semantics; Case Frame week 7 Lab Class LOOM; Assignment 2 week 7Review Logic week 8Semantics II: Logic week 8Student Research Presentations

Course Timeline 3 (Discourse, Pragmatics & Speech) week 9Discourse and Dialog week 9Speech; Assignment 3 week 10 1 Lab Class / Project Discussion week 11Natural Language Generation week 11Disambiguation and other topics 1 November 11th, Remembrance Day

Course Timeline 3 (Exam Components) week 8Student Research Presentations week 13Project Presentations week 14Course / Exam Review* (exam can also be scheduled earlier)

week 1Introduction and Overview week 2Grammar & Formal Languages; Parsing I week 2English Grammar I; Early Parser week 3Lab Class with Early Parser; Assignment 1 ---> I'm in China! week 4Word Classes; POS Tagging; Morphology week 4English Grammar II week 5Features & Unification week 5(Lab Class) Parsing II week 6Overview Semantics; Case Frames week 7Lab Class LOOM; Assignment 2 week 7Review Logic week 8Semantics II: Logic week 8Student Research Presentations week 9Discourse and Dialog week 9Speech; Assignment 3 week 10*Lab Class / Project Discussion week 11Natural Language Generation week 11Disambiguation and other topics week 12Grad Student Presentation “Spoken Language Processing with a Neural Network Parser” week 12Grad Student Presentation “Tutoring System for (Description) Logic” week 13Lab Class week 13Project Presentations week 14Course / Exam Review* (exam can be scheduled earlier) * November 11 th, Remembrance Day Course Timeline (overall):

Evaluation (tentative) A)Research Presentation: 20% B)Project: 20% C)Assignments, in-class tests, 20% exercises, and participation: D)Exam Component: 40%

Final Exam Time and location of the final exam will be planned and announced in due time by the instructor. You are obligated to make yourself available for the writing of the final exam. Advice for preparing the final exam will be given at an appropriate time in class.

Class Communication, Notes, Attendance Class Notes will not be completely provided via the course web page. Students have to take their own notes. Class attendance is expected. Announcements and news will be posted on the course web page and/or sent to students by (cc or cs accounts only!)

Illness and other problems In case of longer times of illness or other problems like bereavement, which considerably influence class attendance and course performance, students are advised to contact the instructor in order to find arrangements for continuing the course successfully. In case students encounter any other course- related problems, they are also advised to contact the instructor.

Missing Assignments In case a student misses a test, exam, or other assignment component which influences the grade, the student has to provide good reasons (e.g. medical certificate) in order to be considered for a deferred evaluation or a substitute score for the missed component. Otherwise, the score for this component will be zero.

Course Partner Every student will have a course partner! Course Partners are discussion partners and advisors or consultants for each other. They are supposed to help each other to understand the class material, and they can provide feedback or advice on presentations, and projects. This help is limited, i.e. no student can do the other student's work!

How to Fail this Course or Get a Bad Grade A good starting point is not to attend classes on a regular basis. Do not look at the Course Notes either. Just forget about the whole course web site. Never ever ask or talk to fellow students or the instructor about the course contents. If you missed a class (or more) or if you can't grasp something, just hide it and play cool.

How to Fail this Course or Get a Bad Grade Don't cooperate with your project partners in the group project. Tell them you have so many other things to do, you just don't have the time to meet and work with them. Do not come to the presentation of your group project. Or ask the instructor for a last minute change of the schedule (The best time is the morning of the day when your presentation is scheduled.)

How to Fail this Course or Get a Bad Grade Do not attend the exam preparation. A relatively safe way to fail the course is: Go on holidays during exam time, or hide in a safe place. Wait there until exam time is over. After Christmas, get in touch with the Faculty/ Department/ Instructor and ask for special permission to take the exam now.

Cheating/Plagiarism If someone unlawfully uses someone else's work without giving them proper credit. "proper credit" - proper forms of referencing and citing "unlawfully" - not in accordance with the rules and purpose of a task or assignment.

Misuse of Computer Facilities, Plagiarism, and Cheating Please see the CS Departmental and the University of Manitoba web pages. Honesty Declarations have to be handed in with assignments.