Research Guides
- University of Washington Libraries
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- Computational Linguistics
- Introductory Overviews
Computational Linguistics: Introductory Overviews
Information resources for computational linguistics at the University of Washington
Surveys of Computational Linguistics
Computational linguistics is a broad and diverse field encompassing innumerable approaches and applications. Helpful orientations to the fields of CL and NLP can be found in the form of handbooks, textbooks, and annotated bibliographies. These resources provide reference and background on CL, surveying and contextualize key literature, and introducing CL foundations, theory, method, and practice.
Selected Handbooks (Online)
Online handbooks and textbooks provide structured overviews of the field, summarizing foundations, principles, and historical and contemporary developments in CL and NLP.
Speech and Language Processing: An Introduction to Natural Language Processing, Computational Linguistics, and Speech Recognition (3rd ed. DRAFT) by Call Number: WEBSITEPublication Date: 2023The as-yet-unpublished 3rd draft of the most comprehensive CL textbook adds new content for an up-to-date view of the field.
The Oxford Handbook of Computational Linguistics (2nd ed.) by 
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Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 2014–Comprehensive survey covering linguistic fundamentals, CL methods and resources, key language processing tasks, and NLP applications.
Handbook of Mathematical Models for Languages and Computation (online) by - This link opens in a new window
Publication Date: 2019Uses theory of computation to address challenges in computer science areas such as artificial intelligence, language processors, compiler writing, information and coding systems, programming language design, computer architecture and more.
The Handbook of Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing by - This link opens in a new window
Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 2012Comprehensive reference work providing an overview of concepts, methodologies, and applications in computational linguistics and natural language processingHandbook of Natural Language Processing (2nd ed.) by
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Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 2010Comprehensive CL handbook emphasizing implementing practical language processing tools in computational systems, covering classical techniques, statistical approaches, and applications.
Selected Handbooks (Print)
Contemporary introductions to CL and NLP include texts not available as ebooks. Hardcopies like these can provide key supplements to online resources—borrow them from the University Libraries using your Husky Card.
Introduction to Natural Language Processing by Publication Date: 2019Technical perspective on NLP, emphasizing contemporary data-driven approaches and focusing on techniques from machine learning.
Computational Analysis and Understanding of Natural Languages: Principles, Methods and Applications by Publication Date: 2018Comprehensive monograph providing a cohesive and integrated exposition of advances and associated applications in CL.
Speech and Language Processing: An Introduction to Natural Language Processing, Computational Linguistics, and Speech Recognition (2nd ed.) by Publication Date: 2008The most widely-used general textbook in CL provides a comprehensive view of the field, covering syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and applications including NLP.
Selected Classic Texts
Older texts in the field can provide useful insights into CL's foundations, core principles, and key developments and figures.
Foundations of Statistical Natural Language Processing by - This link opens in a new window
Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 1999Comprehensive and detailed introduction to statistical language processing techniques, providing a solid understanding of statistical approaches in language processing.
Survey of the State of the Art in Human Language Technology by Publication Date: 1997The first collection of specially written contributions to CL, comprising 90+ short articles that provide quick summaries of a broad range of topics.
Natural Language Understanding by Publication Date: 1995 (2nd ed.)Key textbook prior to CL's shift in emphasis to statistical processing, providing detailed coverage of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics in the symbolic tradition.
Oxford Bibliographies
Find curated resource lists that place key literature in context with Oxford University Press's in-depth annotated bibliographies.
- Computational Linguistics
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"Computational linguistics (CL) is an interdisciplinary mix of computer science and linguistics with additional insights drawn from areas such as psycholinguistics and the philosophy of language ..." - Computational Phonology
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"Much like the term 'computational linguistics', the term 'computational phonology' has come to mean different things to different people ..." - Computational Pragmatics
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"Computational pragmatics is pragmatics with computational means, which include models of dialogue management processes, collections of language use data, annotation schemes and standards ..." - Finite State Languages
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"A finite-state language ... belongs to the class of formal languages whose sentences can be generated or characterized by a number of different abstract devices ..." - Information Structure
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"... information structure refers to the interface between the structure and meaning of linguistic utterances, on the one hand, and the interlocutors’ mental representations of information, discourse referents, and the overall universe of discourse, on the other ..." - Learnability
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"Learnability deals with how any agent at all—human, animal, or machine—could in principle achieve such a thing as acquiring a language ..." - Machine Translation
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"Machine translation (MT) is an interdisciplinary scientific field that brings together linguists, lexicologists, computer scientists, and translation practitioners in the pursuit of a common goal ..." - Mathematical Linguistics
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"Mathematical linguistics is a field of scientific linguistic inquiry applying mathematical methods and concepts to linguistic systems, to phenomena observed in natural languages, or to the metatheory of models of grammars ..." - Speech Synthesis
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"Speech synthesis has a long history, going back to early attempts to generate speech- or singing-like sounds from musical instruments ..." - Text Mining
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"Text data mining, or simply text mining, encompasses tasks that typically analyze vast amounts of digitized text to detect patterns of use and then extract useful information ..." - More Oxford Bibliographies in Linguistics...
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