This course is a graduate introduction to natural language processing - the study of human language from a computational perspective. It covers syntactic, semantic and discourse processing models, emphasizing machine learning or corpus-based methods and algorithms. It also covers applications of these methods and models in syntactic parsing, information extraction, statistical machine translation, dialogue systems, and summarization. The subject qualifies as an Artificial Intelligence and Applications concentration subject.

The use of grammar is more complex than it appears. This unit looks at the way grammar can be used as a tool for adapting our communications (both written and spoken) in ways which present us and our message in different lights.

This unit will help you to identify and use information in Modern Languages, whether for your work, study or personal purposes. Experiment with some of the key resources in this subject area, and learn about the skills which will enable you to plan searches for information, so you can find what you are looking for more easily. Discover the meaning of information quality, and learn how to evaluate the information you come across. You will also be introduced to the many different ways of organising your own information, and learn how to reference it properly in your work. Finally, discover how to keep up to date with the latest developments in your area of interest by using tools such as RSS and mailing lists.

Human communication is vastly more complex than that of any other species we know about. It is so complex that linguists are only just beginning to identify the processes in the brain that are related to understanding language. This unit looks at how language is understood by taking an interdisciplinary approach.

Examines the development of computing techniques and technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly critical evaluation of how the very idea of "computer" changes and evolves over time. Emphasis is on technical innovation, industrial development, social context, and the role of government. Topics include Babbage, Hollerith, differential analyzers, control systems, ENIAC, radar, operations research, computers as scientific instruments, the rise of "computer science," artificial intelligence, personal computers, and networks. Includes class visits by members of the MIT community who have made important historical contributions. This course focuses on one particular aspect of the history of computing: the use of the computer as a scientific instrument. The electronic digital computer was invented to do science, and its applications range from physics to mathematics to biology to the humanities. What has been the impact of computing on the practice of science? Is the computer different from other scientific instruments? Is computer simulation a valid form of scientific experiment? Can computer models be viewed as surrogate theories? How does the computer change the way scientists approach the notions of proof, expertise, and discovery? No comprehensive history of scientific computing has yet been written. This seminar examines scientific articles, participants' memoirs, and works by historians, sociologists, and anthropologists of science to provide multiple perspectives on the use of computers in diverse fields of physical, biological, and social sciences and the humanities. We explore how the computer transformed scientific practice, and how the culture of computing was influenced, in turn, by scientific applications.

Experimental investigations of speech processes. Topics: measurement of articulatory movements; measurements of pressures and airflows in speech production; computer-aided waveform analysis and spectral analysis of speech; synthesis of speech; perception and discrimination of speechlike sounds; speech prosody; models for speech recognition; speech disorders; and other topics. Recommended prerequisites: 6.002 or 18.03. Alternate years.

This case study analyzes the reasoning processes and types of information that we need to embed in collaborative software systems in order for these systems to demonstrate intelligent behavior and allow us to interact with them in a natural way. The central character of the case, Kate, is a college student who lives in an "intelligent" dorm room that converses with her as a friend would. Developed to introduce the ideas of collaboration and natural language understanding in an upper-division course in artificial intelligence, the case can be adapted for non-technical audiences for use in developing critical thinking skills.

Relationship between computer representation of knowledge and the structure of natural language. Emphasizes development of the analytical skills necessary to judge the computational implications of grammatical formalisms, and uses concrete examples to illustrate particular computational issues. Efficient parsing algorithms for context-free grammars; augmented transition network grammars. Question answering systems. Extensive laboratory work on building natural language processing systems. 6.863 is a laboratory-oriented course on the theory and practice of building computer systems for human language processing, with an emphasis on the linguistic, cognitive, and engineering foundations for understanding their design.

This series of mini cases focuses on language deficits (aphasias) and their likely organic causes (problems in specific brain areas). Students read one of the six cases, which are based on actual cases reported in the literature, and connect the symptoms described in the case to a specific aphasia and the affected brain area(s). The cases could be used in a variety of courses, including physiological psychology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, cognitive science, sensation and perception, and cognitive neuropsychology/neuroscience.

Survey of structural properties of natural languages, with special emphasis on the sound pattern. Representation of the lexicon. Physiology of speech production, articulatory phonetics. Acoustical theory of speech production; acoustical and articulatory descriptions of phonetic features and of prosodic aspects of speech. Perception of speech. Models of lexical access and of speech production and planning. Applications to recognition and generation of speech by machine, and to the study of speech disorders.

The focus of this case study is the way differing views on native fluency and bilingualism have an impact on writing instruction in colleges. In the case, students read about the high school and college experiences of a young woman who moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic at age nine with a good deal of fluent, informal spoken English, but little skill in reading and writing formal, standard English. Students follow Maria as she wrestles with her identity as an English user and, along the way, encounter high school teachers and college professors wrestling with a lack of information about how students gain mastery of a language and literacy.