Extended paper submission deadline FSMNLP 2008

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        Finite-State Methods and Natural Language Processing
                                  FSMNLP 2008
                       Seventh International Workshop

                        FINAL  CALL  FOR  PAPERS
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                     11-12 September 2008=2C Ispra=2C Italy

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    ***  EXTENDED PAPER SUBMISSION DEADLINE=3A 18 May  ***

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                    http=3A//langtech=2Ejrc=2Eit/FSMNLP2008
                   contact=3A fsmnlp2008 =5Bad=5D jrc =5Bdot=5D it

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This year FSMNLP is merged with the FASTAR
(Finite Automata Systems - Theoretical and Applied Research)
workshop (http=3A//www=2Efastar=2Eorg)=2E


AIM AND SCOPE

The aim of the FSMNLP 2008 is to bring together members of the
research and industrial community working on finite-state
based models in language technology=2C computational linguistics=2C
web mining=2C linguistics=2C and cognitive science or on related
theory and methods in fields such as computer science and mathematics=2E=

The workshop will be a forum for researchers and practicioners working

  * on NLP applications=2C
  * on the theoretical and implementation aspects=2C or
  * on their combination=2E

The special theme of FSMNLP 2008 centers around high performance
finite-state devices in large-scale natural language text processing sys=
tems
and applications=2E We invite in particular novel high-quality papers re=
lated
to the topics including=3A
 =

  * practices and experience in deployment of finite-state techniques
     in real-world applications processing massive amount of natural lan=
guage data
  * industrial-strength finite-state pattern engines for information ret=
rieval=2C
     information extraction and related text-mining tasks
  * scalability issues in FS-based large-scale text processing systems
  * efficient finite-state methods in search engines
  * implementation=2C construction=2C compression and processing techniq=
ues for huge finite-state
     devices and networks
  * novel application and efficiency-oriented finite-state paradigms (co=
mpilation and processing)=2C
     e=2Eg=2E=2C finite-state devices with rich label annotatations=2C u=
nification-based finite-state devices
  * comparative studies of time and space efficient finite-state methods=
 (vs=2E other techniques)
     utilized in NLP applications
  * novel appllication areas for finite-state devices in text processing=

     and information management systems
  * design patterns for implementing finite-state devices and toolkits

We also invite submissions that are related to the traditional FSMNLP th=
emes
including but not limited to=3A

1=2E NLP applications and linguistic aspects of finite-state methods

The topic includes but is not restricted to=3A

  * speech=2C sign language=2C phonology=2C hyphenation=2C prosody=2C
  * scripts=2C text normalization=2C segmentation=2C tokenization=2C ind=
exing=2C
  * morphology=2C stemming=2C lemmatisation=2C information retrieval=2C =
web mining=2C spelling correction=2C
  * syntax=2C POS tagging=2C partial parsing=2C disambiguation=2C inform=
ation extraction=2C question answering
  * machine translation=2C translation memories=2C glossing=2C dialect a=
daptation=2C
  * annotated corpora and treebanks=2C semi-automatic annotation=2C erro=
r mining=2C searching

2=2E Finite-state models of language

With this more focused topic (inside 1) we invite papers on aspects
that motivate sufficiency of finite-state methods or their subsets for
capturing various requirements of natural language processing=2E The
topic includes but is not restricted to=3A

  * performance=2C linguistic applicability=2C finite-state hypotheses
  * Zipf=27s law and coverage=2C model checking against finite corpora
  * regular approximations under parameterized complexity=2C limitations=
 and definitions of relevant
     complexities such as ambiguity=2C recursion=2C crossings=2C rule ap=
plications=2C constraint violations=2C
     reduplication=2C exponents=2C discontinuity=2C path-width=2C and in=
duction depth
  * similarity inferences=2C dissimilation=2C segmental length=2C counte=
r-freeness=2C asynchronous machines
  * garden-path sentences=2C deterministic parsing=2C expected parses=2C=
 Markov chains
  * incremental parsing=2C uncertainty=2C reliability/variance in stocha=
stic parsing=2C
     linear sequential machines

3=2E Practices for building lexical transducers for the world=27s langua=
ges=2E

The topic accounts for usability of finite-state methods in NLP=2E It
includes but is not restricted to=3A

  * required user training and consultation=2C learning curve of non-spe=
cialists
  * questionnaires=2C discovery methods=2C adaptive computer-aided gloss=
ing and interlinearization
  * example-based grammars=2C unsupervised learning=2C semi-automatic le=
arning=2C user-driven learning
     (see topic 5 too)
  * low literacy level and restricted availability of training data=2C w=
riting systems/phonology
     under development=2C new non-Roman scripts=2C endangered languages
  * linguist=27s workbenches=2C stealth-to-wealth parser development
  * experiences of using existing tools (e=2Eg=2E TWOL) for computationa=
l morphology and phonology

4=2E Specification and implementation of sets=2C relations and
multiplicities in NLP using finite state devices

The topic includes but is not restricted to=3A

  * regular rule formalisms=2C grammar systems=2C expressions=2C operati=
ons=2C closure properties=2C
     complexities
  * algorithms for compilation=2C approximation=2C manipulation=2C optim=
ization=2C
     and lazy evaluation of finite machines
  * finite string and tree automata=2C transducers=2C morphisms and bimo=
rphisms
  * weights=2C registers=2C multiple tapes=2C alphabets=2C state covers =
and partitions=2C representations
  * locality=2C constraint propagation=2C star-free languages=2C data vs=
=2E query complexity
  * logical specification=2C MSO(SLR=2Cmatches)=2C FO(Str=2C=3C)=2C LTL=2C=
 generalized restriction=2C local grammars
  * multi-tape automata=2C same-length relations and partition-based mor=
phology=2C Semitic morphology
  * autosegmental phonology=2C shuffle=2C trajectories=2C synchronizatio=
n=2C segmental anchoring=2C
     alignment constraints=2C syllable structure=2C partial-order reduct=
ions
  * varieties of regular languages and relations=2C
     descriptive complexity of finite-state based grammars
  * automaton-based approaches to declarative constraint grammars=2C
     constraints in optimality theory
  * parallel corpus annotations=2C register automata=2C acyclic timed au=
tomata

5=2E Machine learning of finite-state models of natural language

This topic includes but is not restricted to=3A

  * learning regular rule systems=2C learning topologies of finite autom=
ata and transducers
  * parameter estimation and smoothing=2C lexical openness
  * computer-driven grammar writing=2C user-driven grammar learning=2C d=
iscovery procedures
  * data scarcity=2C realistic variations of Gold=27s model=2C learnabil=
ity and cognitive science
  * incompletely specified finite-state networks
  * model-theoretic grammars=2C gradient well/ill-formedness

6=2E Finite-state manipulation software (with relevance to the above the=
mes)

This topic includes but is not restricted to

  * regular expression pre-compilers such as regexopt=2C xfst2fsa=2C sta=
ndards and interfaces
     for finite-state based software components=2C conversion tools
  * tools such as LEXC=2C Lextools=2C Intex=2C XFST=2C FSM=2C GRM=2C WFS=
C=2C FIRE Engine=2C FADD=2C FSA/UTR=2C
     SRILM=2C FIRE Station and Grail
  * free or almost free software such as MIT FST=2C Carmel=2C RWTH FSA=2C=
 FSA Utilities=2C FSM=3C2=2E0=3E=2C
     Unitex=2C OpenFIRE=2C OpenFST=2C Vaucanson=2C SFST=2C PCKIMMO=2C MO=
NA=2C Hopskip=2C ASTL=2C UCFSM=2C
     HaLeX=2C SML=2C and WFST (see http=3A//forums=2Ecsc=2Efi/kitwiki/pi=
lot/view/KitWiki/FsmReg for more
     examples)
  * results obtainable with such exploration tools as automata=2C Autogr=
aphe=2C Amore=2C and TESTAS
  * visualization tools such as Graphviz and Vaucanson-G
  * language-specific resources and descriptions=2C freely available ben=
chmarking resources

The descriptions of the topics above are not meant to be complete=2C and=

should extend to cover all traditional FSMNLP topics=2E Submitted papers=

or abstracts may fall in several categories=2E


SUBMISSION

We expect three kinds of submissions=3A

- full papers=2C
- short papers=2C and
- interactive software demos=2E

Submissions are electronic and in PDF format via a web-based submission =
server=2E
Authors are encouraged to use Springer LNCS style (Proceedings and Other=
 Multiauthor Volumes)
for LaTeX in producing the PDF document=2E More information on this styl=
e can be found at=3A
http=3A//www=2Espringer=2Ecom/east/home/computer/lncs=3FSGWID=3D5-164-7-=
72376-0
The page limit for full papers is 12 pages=2C whereas short papers and
software demo descriptions are limited to 6 pages=2E The information abo=
ut the author(s)
should be omitted in the submitted papers since the review process wil b=
e blind=2E
More detailed information about submission is available on=3A
http=3A//langtech=2Ejrc=2Eit/FSMNLP2008/m/submission=2Ehtml


PUBLICATION

The papers and abstracts will be published in FSMNLP 2008 proceedings (p=
aper version)=2E
We are currently negotiating publishing the postproceedings with a scien=
tific press company=2E
Publication of extended and revised versions of the papers in a special =
journal issue
is planned too=2E


IMPORTANT DATES

Paper submissions due=3A  18 May (extended)
Notification of acceptance=3A  11 June
Camera-ready versions due=3A 30 June


PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Cyril Allauzen (Google Research=2C New York=2C USA)
Francisco Casacuberta (Instituto Tecnologico De Inform=C3=A1tica=2C Vale=
ncia=2C Spain)
Jean-Marc Champarnaud (Universit=C3=A9 de Rouen=2C France)
Maxime Crochemore (Department of Computer Science=2C King=27s College Lo=
ndon=2C U=2EK=2E)
Jan Daciuk (Gda=C5=84sk University of Technology=2C Poland)
Karin Haenelt (Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and University of Heidelberg=2C G=
ermany)
Thomas Hanneforth (University of Potsdam=2C Germany)
Colin de la Higuera (Jean Monnet University=2C Saint-Etienne=2C France)
Andr=C3=A9 Kempe (Yahoo Search Technologies=2C Paris=2C France)
Derrick Kourie (Dept=2E of Computer Science=2C University of Pretoria=2C=
 South Africa)
Andras Kornai (Budapest Institute of Technology=2C Hungary and MetaCarta=
=2C Cambridge=2C USA)
Marcus Kracht (Univeristy of California=2C Los Angeles=2C USA)
Hans-Ulrich Krieger (DFKI GmbH=2C Saarbr=C3=BCcken=2C Germany)
Eric Laporte (Universit=C3=A9 de Marne-la-Vall=C3=A9e=2C France)
Stoyan Mihov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences=2C Sofia=2C Bulgaria)
Herman Ney (RWTH Aachen University=2C Germany)
Kemal Oflazer (Sabanci University=2C Turkey and Carnegie Mellon Universi=
ty=2C Pittsburgh=2C USA)
Jakub Piskorski (Joint Research Center of the European Commission=2C Ita=
ly)
Michael Riley (Google Research=2C New York=2C USA)
Strahil Ristov (Ruder Boskovic Institute=2C Zagreb=2C Croatia)
Wojciech Rytter (Warsaw University=2C Poland)
Jacques Sakarovitch (Ecole nationale sup=C3=A9rieure des T=C3=A9l=C3=A9c=
ommunications=2C Paris=2C France)
Max Silberztein (Universit=C3=A9 de Franche-Comt=C3=A9=2C France)
Wojciech Skut (Google Research=2C Mountain View=2C USA)
Bruce Watson (Dept=2E of Computer Science=2C University of Pretoria=2C S=
outh Africa)
Shuly Wintner (University of Haifa=2C Israel)
Atro Voutilainen (Connexor Oy=2C Finland)
Anssi Yli Jyr=C3=A4 (University of Helsinki and CSC =E2=80=93 Scientific=
 Computing Ltd=2E=2C Espoo=2C Finland)
Sheng Yu (University of Western Ontario=2C Canada)
Lynette van Zijl (Stellenbosch University=2C South Africa)


PC-CHAIRS=3A

Bruce Watson (Dept=2E of Computer Science=2C University of Pretoria=2C S=
outh Africa)
Anssi Yli Jyr=C3=A4 (University of Helsinki and CSC =E2=80=93 Scientific=
 Computing Ltd=2E=2C Espoo=2C Finland)