Corpora: Computational Models of Natural Language Argument

[Floriana Grasso]

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 ============================================================================

                         International workshop on

             Computational Models of Natural Language Argument

                 to be held in conjunction with ICCS'2001

                      San Francisco, May 28-30, 2001

               http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~floriana/CMNLA.html

                              CALL FOR PAPERS

Abstract
========
Natural language argument represents both a challenge and an opportunity
for computational modelling, from both understanding and generation points
of view. Argumentation is typically rich with rhetorical devices
interacting at many different layers of abstraction, and is heavily
dependent upon extra-linguistic context if it is to be successful. On the
other hand, there is a well developed literature on both argumentation
theory and rhetoric which offers great potential for exploitation in
computational models. This workshop aims to gather together the current
state of the art in the interdisciplinary area between argumentation and
computational linguistics, and to provide a forum in which to develop new
cross-disciplinary collaborations and new lines of inquiry.

Areas of Interest
=================
Abstracts are invited on the following topics:

   * The linguistic characteristics of argumentative texts, including
     discourse markers, sentence format, referring expressions, and style.
   * The generation of natural language arguments: techniques in natural
     language generation to account for argumentation and persuasion
     (including techniques for handling discourse goals and structure,
     speaker/hearer models, content selection, etc.)
   * The use of models from informal logic and argumentation theory in NLP,
     and in particular, approaches to specific schools of thought developed
     in informal logic and argumentation.
   * Corpora based studies of argumentative texts.
   * Rhetoric and affect: the role of emotions, personalities, etc. in
     argumentative discourse.
   * Computational approaches to the similarities and differences between
     dialogic and monologic argumentation.
   * Issues of domain specificity, and in particular, the independence that
     argumentation techniques have from the domain of discourse, and the
     extent to which generic NLP systems can be applied to the domain of
     argumentation itself.
   * Language dependence and multilingual approaches to argumentation.
   * The ethical implications of implemented systems demonstrating, for
     example, licentiousness and deceipt.
   * Applications of argumentation based NLP systems, including, for
     example, the pedagogical, health-related, political, and promotional.

The organisers encourage submission from researchers in both computational
linguistics and the philosophy of argument, and related fields, in order to
stimulate cross-disciplinary fertilisation.

Submissions
===========
Papers are solicited in any of the areas of interest of the workshop listed
above. Submissions should be in English, should not exceed 5,000 words, or
a maximum of 10 pages, and should be formatted in accordance with the
Springer Verlag LNCS style, available at
http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html. Submission implies the
willingness of at least one of the authors to attend the workshop and
present the paper.

Papers may fall into one of three categories:

   * reports on completed work
   * descriptions of current, but mature, work in progress
   * more polemic essays on burning issues

The last two, in particular, are aimed at stimulating discussion which will
form a key component of the workshop's structure.

Electronic submissions (postscript .ps or portable document format .pdf
files) are strongly encouraged. Submitted papers should be received by one
of the organisers no later than 9 February 2001.

Venue
=====
The workshop will be held in conjuction with the International Conference
on Computational Science (ICCS'2001), Hilton San Francisco and Towers, San
Francisco, USA. More information is available from the ICCS web-site at
http://www.hpcc.rdg.ac.uk/iccs (mirror site at http://www.ucalgary.ca.iccs/).

Publication
===========
All accepted papers will appear in a volume, to be published by Springer
Verlag, in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. The
organisers are currently in negotiation to arrange subsequent extended
publication as a special issue of a prominent journal.

Registration
============
Attendance to the workshop is free of charge, but all attendees of the
workshop must register for the ICCS conference (for information please
refer to the ICCS web-site).

Important Dates
===============
- Paper submission deadline             9 February 2001
- Notification of acceptance/rejection  1 March 2001
- Camera ready due to organisers       23 March 2001
- Pre-registration to ICCS             29 March 2001
- ICCS conference                      28-30 May 2001

Programme Committee
===================
- Cristiano Castelfranchi, Department of Communication Science, University of
  Siena, Italy.
- Fiorella de Rosis, Department of Informatics, University of Bari, Italy.
- Floriana Grasso, (co-organiser), Department of Computer Science, University
  of Liverpool, England.
- Leo Groarke, Department of Philosophy, Wilfrid Laurier University,
  Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
- Chris Reed, (co-organiser), Department of Applied Computing, University of
  Dundee, Scotland.
- Ehud Reiter, Department of Computer Science, University of Aberdeen,
  Scotland.
- Antoinette Renouf, Department of English Language and Literature,
  University of Liverpool, England.

Contact
=======
All enquiries and submissions should be directed to one of the organisers:

           Floriana Grasso                         Chris Reed
    Department of Computer Science      Department of Applied Computing
       University of Liverpool                University of Dundee
             Peach Street                          Park Wynd
          Liverpool L69 7ZF                      Dundee DD1 4HN
               England                              Scotland
      Tel. (+44)(0)151 794 3680             Tel. (+44)(0)1382 348083
      Fax. (+44)(0)151 794 3715             Fax. (+44)(0)1382 345509
       floriana at csc.liv.ac.uk            chris at computing.dundee.ac.uk