[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Sesquipedalian #23

The SESQUIPEDALIAN WEEKLY HERALD                       Volume IV, Number 23
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-
                                                        April 7, 1994



                    -\-\-\ LOOK WHO'S HERE /-/-/-

Please extend a warm welcome to Tore Kristiansen, a visiting
sociolinguist from the University of Copenhagen. Tore, born in Hamar,
Norway, has resided in Denmark since 1974 and is currently on
sabbatical from his position as Assistant Professor at the Institute
of Danish Dialectology, University of Copenhagen. During his stay,
Tore will be at Stanford for Spring Quarter pursuing research on
language styles and attitudes, and dialectology.

  **************************************************************************


                -\-\-\ LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM /-/-/-


        CHRONOSCOPES: DYNAMIC TOOLS FOR TEMPORAL ANAPHORA

                        Alice ter Meulen
                    Linguistics and Philosophy
                 Indiana University, Bloomington

                      Friday, 8 April, 1994
                             3:30 PM
                           Cordura 100
                      Happy hour will follow.

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

Abstract

        Although the semantic role of the aspectual classes in
temporal anaphora is analyzed in Discourse Representation Theory, a
proper account of reasoning with temporal information should model
situated inference as a context- dependent relation between events
described by narrative text.  If such inference is defined in DRT, it
still fails to capture some logical properties of temporal relations
used in ordinary reasoning. English examples are presented to
illustrate how aspectual information dynamically controls the flow of
information about the described events. Such anaphoric processes are
represented in chronoscopes, structured objects in Dynamic Aspect
Trees (DATs). These representations capture the requisite
non-monotonic notion of situated temporal inference in their
configurational structure. The view that aspectual information is
logical in nature is defended against some popular accounts that defer
temporal reasoning to an all- purpose default inference system.

  ************************************************************************


                       -\-\-\ CALL FOR PAPERS /-/-/-

                              The 19th Annual

            Boston University Conference on Language Development

                       November 4, 5 and 6, 1994

          Keynote Speaker: Andrew Radford, University of Essex
          Plenary Speaker: Jill de Villiers, Smith College

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

                FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

All topics in the field of language acquisition will be fully considered, 
including: 

           Bilingualism                Literacy
           Cognition & Language        Narrative
           Creoles & Pidgins           Neurolinguistics
           Discourse                   Pragmatics
           Exceptional Language        Pre-linguistic Development
           Input & Interaction         Signed Languages
           Language Disorders          Sociolinguistics
           Lexicon                     Speech Perception & Production
           Linguistic Theory (Syntax, Semantics, Phonology, Morphology)


Abstracts submitted must represent original, unpublished research.  We
regret that we are unable to accept more than TWO submissions per
author. (This includes abstracts with multiple authors.)
Presentations will be 20 minutes long, plus 10 minutes for questions.

PLEASE SUBMIT:

             1) six copies of an anonymous, clearly titled 450-word
                summary for review

             2) one 3 x 5 card stating:

                 i) Title, ii) Topic area, iii) audiovisual requests, and 
                 iv) for EACH author:

                   a) Full name & affiliation  d) Summer address & phone 
                   b) Current address & phone  e) Summer e-mail address
                   c) E-mail address           f) Fax number

Please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard for acknowledgment
of receipt.  Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent by
late July.  Pre-registration materials and preliminary schedule will
be available in late August 1994.  Note: All conference papers will be
selected on the basis of abstracts submitted. Although each abstract
will be evaluated individually, we will attempt to honor requests to
schedule accepted papers together in group sessions.

If your paper is accepted, you will be asked to submit a 150-word
abstract for inclusion in the conference program book. Requests for
these program abstracts will be sent with acceptance letters. Program
abstracts must be submitted on diskette or by e-mail.

      DEADLINE:  All submissions must be RECEIVED by May 15, 1994.  

Send abstract submissions to:                      

  Boston University                   Telephone: (617) 353-3085
  Conference on Language Development  Fax:       (617) 353-6218
  138 Mountfort Street                E-mail: langconf@louis-xiv.bu.edu OR
  Boston, MA 02215  U.S.A.             info@louis-xiv.bu.edu (automated reply)
                                       (WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT ABSTRACTS
                                        SUBMISSIONS BY FAX OR E-MAIL.)

  ************************************************************************



                         -\-\-\ READINGS /-/-/-


Jean Mark Gawron will read from his new science fiction novel, Dream
of Glass.

Fri, April 23, 6 PM, Dark Carnival, 2978 Adeline Street (near Ashby
Bart) Wed, May 5, 7:30 PM, Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real (near
Santa Cruz Ave.), Menlo Park

In a San Francisco of the future, a young woman named Augustine is
wounded at the end of a war and declared officially dead when the
synthetic memories implanted to aid her recovery qualify her as an
entirely new person.  The novel follows her as she tries to build a
new identity and a new life in a fascist theocracy where information
is God.

***************************************************************************

                     -\-\-\ COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT /-/-/-

                            for Spring Quarter

Music 242           Seminar: Topics in Computer Music

1 unit               DHR             Knoll 213              Cook

TOPICS IN COMPUTER ANALYSIS/SYNTHESIS OF THE HUMAN VOICE, WITH
EMPHASIS ON SINGING

Instructor:  Perry R. Cook   5-3568  PRC@CCRMA.STANFORD.EDU


Units:           1 unit pass/fail (attendance based)
                        Optional proposed projects for more credit

Location:      CCRMA , The Knoll

Time:           Thursdays 9:00AM  - 10:30AM

Prerequisites: None. The target student needs no specific technical
background.

The course will cover topics relevant to speech analysis/synthesis,
but with an emphasis on the synthesis of singing.  Lectures will be
presented to a musical audience, with technical papers and references
which would benefit the technical student. Grading format is 1unit
lecture pass/fail based on attendance, one lecture may be missed with
no penalty.  No video tapes of lectures will be available for makeup,
but up to two missed lectures may be made up by reading a paper on the
topic and writing a short report.  Optional individual research
projects can be done in linguistics, engineering, composition,
performance, directed readings, or providing or using a particular
software system on CCRMA computers.

Topics which will be covered include: 

Digital Representations of Sound (Sampling, Quantization, Aliasing,
etc., DFT and spectra, dBs and log freq. etc.)

The Vocal Mechanism: Physiology and Acoustics Spectral Vocal Models
(Additive synthesis, PARSHL, SANSY, F. M., FOF/FORMES, VOSIM, etc.)

Computer Analysis (FFT Block processing, windows etc., Vocoding, LPC,
Formant Detection, Source/Filter separation and identification)

Source-Filter Models  (LPC, Acoustic Tube)

Performance Systems (CHANT, others)

Issues in Solo and Choral Voice Singing Simulation, Research Topics in Speech.

  *************************************************************************

                   -\-\-\ CONSERVE DISK SPACE /-/-/-

So you may delete your copy after you've read it (or better yet,
before you've read it), the Sesquipedalian Weekly Herald is stored
online both at Stanford (in directory /user/linguistics/Sesquip), and
at Berkeley (in the directory /usr/pub.)  The most current issue of
the Herald can be found by typing 'help quip'.

Neither Stanford University nor the Linguistics Department, nor any of
their employees, makes any warranty, whatsoever, implied, or assumes
any legal liability or responsibility regarding any information
disclosed in this publication, or represents that its use would not
infringe privately owned rights.  No specific reference constitutes or
implies endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Stanford
University or the Linguistics Department, or their employees.  The
views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those
of Stanford University or the Linguistics Department, or their
employees, and shall not be used for advertising or product
endorsement purposes.

This journal printed on 100% recycled electrons