Questions related to language acquisition have been of interest for many
centuries, as children seem to acquire a sophisticated capacity for
processing language with apparent ease, in the face of ambiguity, noise
and uncertainty. However, with recent advances in technology and
cognitive-related research it is now possible to conduct large-scale
computational investigations of these issues
The book discusses some of the latest theoretical and practical
developments in the areas involved, including computational models for
language tasks, tools and resources that help to approximate the
linguistic environment available to children during acquisition, and
discussions of challenging aspects of language that children have to
master.
This is a much-needed collection that provides a cross-section of recent
multidisciplinary research on the computational modeling of language
acquisition. It is targeted at anyone interested in the relevance of
computational techniques for understanding language acquisition. Readers
of this book will be introduced to some of the latest approaches to
these tasks including:
* Models of acquisition of various types of linguistic information
(from words to syntax and semantics) and their relevance to research on
human language acquisition
* Analysis of linguistic and contextual factors that influence
acquisition
* Resources and tools for investigating these tasks
Each chapter is presented in a self-contained manner, providing a
detailed description of the relevant aspects related to research on
language acquisition, and includes illustrations and tables to
complement these in-depth discussions. Though there are no formal
prerequisites, some familiarity with the basic concepts of human and
computational language acquisition is beneficial.
