计算语言学和自然语言处理:影响现代人生活的研究领域——访谈认知心理语言学专家左密夏博士

Computational Linguistics(CL) and Natural Language Processing(NLP): A Research Field with Impact on Our Modern Life——An Interview with Michael Zock

在21世纪现代生活中,知识,即信息,通过语言媒介的传达无所不在。大众无时无刻在工作场合或私人领域中不断地通过家庭计算机、电视机和移动通讯设备来接收信息、进行传播和网络社交。我们是如何通过各种不同形式(文字/音频/视频)将传统的静态信息(例如书本与报纸等)转换成动态数据的,而且在任何时间,从任何地点都能取得?过程中有哪些"不可避免"的步骤呢?为了了解实现这些成果的相关研究,我们邀访了左密夏(Michael Zock)博士,请他针对此主题根据他的特长及多年来的研究经验分享见解及看法。左密夏博士在自然语言处理(Natural Language Processing)和计算语言学(Computational Linguistics)的研究领域已经有30多年的研究经验。他在获得实验心理学博士学位后,被聘任为法国国家科学研究中心的终身研究员。他在巴黎附近的人工智能实验室LIMSI工作了20多年。自2006年起,在艾克斯马赛大学(Aix-Marseille)基础信息学实验室(Lab.of Fundamental Informatics)的自然语言处理组(NLP Group)工作。他的研究兴趣主要在于语言生成领域(Language Production),以用户需求与实证研究(心理语言学、神经科学)结果为出发点,进行研发与构建工具来帮助语言学习者获得口语表达和(或)书写的能力。他目前的研究重点包括:信息规划(Message Planning)、写作大纲规划(Outline Planning)、词汇存取(Lexical Access)和基础外语口说技能学习(Basic Speaking Skills Acquisition)。左密夏博士在自然语言处理研究领域是国际知名学者。他发表了许多研究成果,其中包含该领域中被认为非常重要的研究。他除了积极扮演促进学者间进行各样主题(如自然语言生成、计算机辅助教学、词汇的认知特点)交流的角色(如通过举办研讨会、暑期专题学校、专题工作坊等)外,也经常提出创新想法,尤其是概念创作、词汇存取和语言学习(如何快速、轻松地学习外语口语表达技巧)。因此,他的研究在该领域中经常被引用。他也曾多次获得国家研究经费受邀到日本和韩国等国参与长期与短期的专题研究,并于2013-2014年间应邀聘请在台湾台南大学与苏俊铭教授合作研究政府资助的外语学习/教学研究项目。

Editor＇s Commentary： Knowledge, i.e. information and its transmission via language are omnipresent in our modem life of the 21 st century. People are continuously receiving information, communicating and social networking via their desktops, television sets and mobile devices in work and in their private life. How do we transform traditional static information, for instance, books, newspapers and so on to dynamic data, interpretable in various forms （written/audio/video）, accessible at any time, from any where？ What are the ＂inevitable＂ steps in the process？ In order to understand the upstream research for these achievements, we have interviewed Dr. Michael Zock on this topic to glean some of his insights on these topics. Dr. Zock has been active in Computational Linguistics（CL） and Natural Language Processing（NLP）for more than 30 years. He has obtained his PhD in experimental psychology, and has been appointed as tenured researcher by the CNRS （French National Center for Scientific Research）. After 20 years working at LIMSI, an Artificial Intelligent Laboratory near Paris, he has joined the NLP group of the LIF （Lab. of Fundamental Informatics） of Aix-Marseille University in 2006.His research interests lie in language production by and large. Starting from user needs and empirical findings （psycholinguistics, neurosciences）, he attempts to build tools to help people to acquire the skill of speaking and/ or writing. His current research comprise： message-planning, outline planning, lexical access, and the acquisition of basic speaking skills in a foreign language. Dr. Zock is an international well-known researcher in NLP. He has published extensively and some of his publications are considered to be essential for the field. Besides playing a federating role to gather people around an idea （Natural Language Generation, CALL, Cognitive aspects of the lexicon）, he has often produced pioneering ideas, most prominently on conceptual authoring, lexical access and language learning （how to learn quickly and painlessly the skill of speaking a foreign langue）. His research has often been cited as it has helped to advance the field. Having been invited to Japan and Korea many times, Dr. Zock is currently collaborating with Prof. Jun-Ming Su of the University of Tainan in Taiwan. His stay is financed by a government funding research project in the domain of Foreign Language Learning/Teaching.