CfP: Natural Language Interfaces

[Ivan A. Sag]

From: Bernhard Schroeder <B.Schroeder at uni-bonn.de>
Organization: IKP, Uni Bonn

                            SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS
                        NATURAL LANGUAGE INTERFACES
                        DIALOGUE AND PARTNER MODELING

         Workshop at the Fachtagung fuer Kuenstliche Intelligenz, Bonn
                               13.9.-14.9.1999

                        URL: http://www.ikp.uni-bonn.de/NDS99

Overview

   * The Theme of the Workshop
   * Abstract Submission
   * Important Dates
   * Committee

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Theme of the Workshop

Natural language interfaces allow users to interact verbally with
dialogue
systems. Users can ask a question via keyboard or microphone and receive
an
answer in spoken or in written form. Such interfaces have been around
for a
while; the challenge right now is to make them as robust and efficient
as
possible without limiting syntax and vocabulary more than necessary.

How can new approaches to dialogue and partner modelling help to reach this
goal? To what extent can results from underspecification theory, dynamic
semantics, rhethorical structure theory or centering theory be useful?  We are
especially interested in approaches which have already been integrated into
existing system and whose implementation has been evaluated.

The workshop is intended as an oppertunity for a lively dialogue between
linguists and computer scientists, between theory and practice. For this
reason,

*presentations are limited to 15 minutes, followed by 15 minutes discussion
*a final discussion of about one and a half hours is planned.


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Abstract Submission

Participants who would like to give a talk are asked to submit an extended
abstract of max. 2 pages per e-mail to the organizers Bernhard Schroeder
(b.schroeder at uni-bonn.de) und Maria Wolters (wolters at ikp.uni-bonn.de) in .ps
or .pdf format. Each received abstract is acknowledged.

The languages of the workshop are English and German. Authors are notified of
acceptance on 31 May. From mid June on, all extended abstracts will be
accessible from this web page. We will also create a mailing list for
participants and other interested researchers. We plan to publish the
proceedings of this workshop as a book.

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Schedule

 15.5.1999:     deadline for receipt of extended abstracts
 31.5.1999:     notification of acceptance
 14.6.1999:     deadline for revised extended abstracts
 13./14.9.1999: Workshop in Bonn

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Committee

Organizing Committee

Bernhard Schroeder, Maria Wolters
     Institut fuer Kommunikationsforschung und Phonetik
     Universitaet Bonn
     Poppelsdorfer Allee 47
     D-53115 Bonn
     Tel.: +49 228 735621 (Schroeder); +49 228 733081 (Wolters)
     Fax: +49 228 735639
     e-mail: b.schroeder at uni-bonn.de; wolters at ikp.uni-bonn.de

Programme Committee

   * Elisabeth Andre, Saarbruecken
   * Harry Bunt, Tilburg
   * Paul Dekker, Amsterdam
   * Roland Hausser, Erlangen
   * Janet Hitzeman, Edinburgh
   * Winfried Lenders, Bonn
   * Paul McKevitt, Aalborg

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