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CSLI Calendar, 11 November 1993, vol.9:7
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To: friends
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Subject: CSLI Calendar, 11 November 1993, vol.9:7
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From: Tom Burke <burke@arch.stanford.edu>
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Date: Wed, 10 Nov 93 12:16:24 PST
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C S L I C A L E N D A R O F P U B L I C E V E N T S
______________________________________________________________________________
11 November 1993 Stanford Vol. 9, No. 7
______________________________________________________________________________
A weekly publication of the Center for the Study of Language and
Information (CSLI), Stanford University, Ventura Hall, Stanford, CA 94305-4115
____________
CSLI ACTIVITIES DURING 11 -- 19 NOVEMBER 1993
THURSDAY, 11 NOVEMBER
12:00 - CSLI TINLunch
Cordura Hall, Room 100
Social Responses to Communication Technology:
A New Paradigm and Surprising Results
Byron Reeves and Cliff Nass
Abstract below
2:15 - CSLI Seminar
Cordura Hall, Room 100
Constraint-Based Grammar: Some Current Problems from
an HPSG Perspective
Ivan Sag
Abstract below
4:15 - SSP Forum
Building 60, Room 61-F
Connectionism and the Language of Thought
Murat Aydede
Abstract below
FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER
12:00 - PCD Seminar
Skilling Auditorium
On the World Wide Web
Robert Cailliau
Abstract below
3:15 - Philosophy Colloquium
Building 90, Room 91-A
Darwin Meets the Logic of Decision: Correlation in
Evolutionary Game Theory
Brian Skyrms
Abstract below
3:30 - Linguistics Colloquium
Cordura Hall, Room 100
Abstract Case, V-Movement, and the Null Subject Parameter
Marta Lujan
Abstract below
TUESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER
7:30 - Phonology Worshop
Cordura Hall, Second-floor lounge
Is the Mora Phonetically Real?
Kathleen Hubbard
Abstract below
THURSDAY, 18 NOVEMBER
12:00 - CSLI TINLunch
Cordura Hall, Room 100
Rising Sun: The Book, The Movie, and The Reality
Stephen Suda
2:15 - CSLI Seminar
Cordura Hall, Room 100
Prediction in Mathematics: The Wittgensteinian Approach
Wenceslao J. Gonzalez
Abstract below
4:15 - SSP Forum
Building 60, Room 61-F
Flexing Structures and Fluxing Strictures
Eric Minch
Abstract below
FRIDAY, 19 NOVEMBER
12:00 - PCD Seminar
Skilling Auditorium
Placeholder: Landscape and Narrative in a Virtual Environment
Brenda Laurel, Rob Tow, and Rachel Strickland
Abstract below
3:30 - Linguistics Colloquium
Cordura Hall, Room 100
Joint Action and Language Use
Herb Clark
____________
The CSLI Calendar appears on Thursday of each week throughout the academic
year. Announcements, abstracts, and other information to appear in the
Calendar on a given Thursday should be submitted by e-mail to
incalendar@csli.stanford.edu by 5:00 p.m. on the previous Tuesday.
____________
CSLI TINLUNCH
on Thursday, 11 November
12:00 noon, Cordura Hall, Room 100
Social Responses to Communication Technology:
A New Paradigm and Surprising Results
Byron Reeves and Cliff Nass
Stanford University
In this presentation, we discuss the results of a multi-year research program
of experimental studies that demonstrate the ways in which users respond
socially to agents. We demonstrate that users use social rules and invoke
social schema to interpret and respond to the behavior of agents. Hence,
human-technology interactions are fundamentally social and natural. The
studies all are based on the idea that one can apply theories and methods from
the social sciences directly to users' interactions with computers.
Studies to be discussed include:
(1) Do users apply politeness rules to agents?
(2) Do users apply notions of "self" and "others" to agents?
(3) How can one differentiate agents?
(4) How does the gender of agents affect users' perceptions?
(5) How does the size of faces on the screen affect users' attention, memory,
and affect?
(6) How does animation affect users?
(7) How are users affected by audio fidelity, video fidelity, audio space,
and aspect ratio?
For each study, we discuss theory, method, results, and theoretical and
design implications for the implementation of agents.
____________
CSLI SEMINAR
on Thursday, 11 November
2:15 p.m., Cordura Hall, Room 100
Constraint-Based Grammar: Some Current Problems from
an HPSG Perspective
Ivan Sag
Stanford University
Last week, I gave a brief introduction to constraint-based grammar of the sort
developed at CSLI and elsewhere, with special emphasis on the one I know best:
Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar.
In this talk, I examine a few grammatical problems that are the subject of
ongoing theoretical controversy. Most of these concern the analysis of long
distance dependencies, e.g., filler-gap dependencies of the sort found in
English relative clauses, constituent questions, and in numerous constructions
in other languages. I will compare current HPSG approaches with those that
have been advanced in other traditions, particularly the tradition of
transformational grammar.
____________
SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS FORUM
on Thursday, 11 November
4:15 p.m., Building 60, Room 61-F
Connectionism and the Language of Thought
Murat Aydede
CSLI
In this talk, I will present the basics of the debate -- or shall we say,
"battle to win souls" -- between connectionists like Smolensky and classicists
like Fodor and Pylyshyn who defend a "language of thought" framework. The
debate is many-faceted and conducted not always in crisp-clear and sober
terms. I will lay out the basic conceptual framework of the debate,
reconstruct Fodor and Pylyshyn's influential criticism of connectionism, and
then specify the connectionist positions vis-a-vis their argument according to
the actual/possible reactions to its premisses. In doing this, I will examine
and clarify what the language of thought hypothesis is and why we should take
it seriously. My talk will primarily be expository/clarificatory, even though
a critical one at that: I am interested in this debate as a philosopher. If
you want to have an idea about what the whole thing is all about, don't miss
this talk. I will keep my own contribution to the debate for some other
occasion, or perhaps just briefly touch upon it at the end of the talk if
there is enough time.
____________
SEMINAR ON HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION
on Friday, 12 November
12:00--1:30 p.m., Skilling Auditorium
WorldWideWeb
Robert Cailliau
The WorldWideWeb (WWW) project was started and driven by CERN (the European
Laboratory for Particle Physics) in an attempt to build a distributed
hypermedia system. It has now become one of the most frequently used and
fastest growing information retrieval systems on the Internet.
To access the Web, you run a browser program. The browser reads documents,
and can fetch documents from other sources. Information providers set up
hypermedia servers from which browsers can retrieve documents.
The browsers can, in addition, access files by FTP, NNTP (the Internet news
protocol), Gopher, WAIS, and an ever-increasing range of other methods. On
top of these, if the server has search capabilities, the browsers will permit
searches of documents and databases.
The documents that the browsers display are hypertext documents. Hypertext is
text with pointers to other text. The browsers let you deal with the pointers
in a transparent way -- select the pointer, and you are presented with the
text that is pointed to.
Hypermedia is a superset of hypertext -- it is any medium with pointers to
other media. This means that browsers might not display a text file, but
might display images or sound or animations.
ROBERT CAILLIAU, formerly in programming language design and compiler
construction, has been interested in document production since 1975, when he
designed and implemented a widely used document markup and formatting system.
He ran CERN's Office Computing Systems group from 1987 to 1989. He is a
long-time user of Hypercard, which he used to such diverse ends as writing
trip reports, games, bookkeeping software, and budget preparation forms.
Robert was one of the first members of the WorldWideWeb project team at CERN.
He presently works in the ECP group supervising WWW code development and
support. He is firm believer in the potential of WWW and has been an active
evangelist for it within the high energy physics community.
____________
PHILOSOPHY COLLOQUIUM
on Friday, 12 November
3:15 p.m., Building 90, Room 91-A
Darwin Meets the Logic of Decision: Correlation
in Evolutionary Game Theory
Brian Skyrms
CASBS and UC-Irvine
The proper treatment of correlation in evolutionary game dynamics has
unexpected connections with philosophical discussions of the correct theory of
rational decision. Fallacies in the theory of rational decision are
transformed into legitimate evolutionary models. There are consequences for
the evolution of altruism, efficiency, rationality and irrationality.
____________
LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM
on Friday, 12 November
3:30 p.m., Cordura Hall, Room 100
Abstract Case, V-Movement, and the Null Subject Parameter
Marta Lujan
University of Texas at Austin
The contrasts between English and Spanish clausal complements can be traced to
a Case-marking difference resulting from the V-movement related to Null
Subjects in V-initial languages. Specifically, we claim that Abstract
Case(AC)-marking differs according to whether a complement is governed by V or
V-trace. The hypothesis is that only a strictly adjacent Case-assigner,
namely, one not undergoing movement, can AC-mark a complement's Specifier, as
in English, whose notorious Exceptional Case-Marking (ECM) is but an overt
manifestation of the general AC-marking mode. ECM is here seen as the result
of raising the Spec of a tenseless IP to an AC-marked [Spec, CP] position. In
Spanish, however, AC goes on a C-head, as CP is governed by a V-trace. Thus,
since `que' generally bears AC, unlike its English counterpart `that', it
seldom deletes in the context of V. Non-ECM verbs differ in that they embed a
`that'-headed clause by means of an abstract operator requiring an intervening
CP layer.
Contrary to general assumption, we hold that CPs are universally Case-marked
(cf. Tsai 1993, for evidence in Chinese). As Spanish amply attests, there
`de'-insertion before finite and nonfinite CPs, as in: `el deseo de que vaya'
(the wish that he goes); `deseoso de ir' (desirous (of) go(ing)), where `de'
respectively Case-marks `que', and the nonfinite `ir' (go), the latter V
moving through I to C, to make Case-marking visible. In English, where there
is `of'-insertion only before gerundive clauses, AC-marking of the finite
complement clauses is instead realized by moving `that' to its Specifier
position, as economy of derivation favors moving an already available
functional head over inserting a new one.
Our account is consistent with (i) the obviation in subject pronouns of
subjunctive CPs, as defined by Binding Principle B once they LF-adjoin `que';
(ii) ECM in Spanish small clauses, deriving from head-movement of pronouns
(e.g. `lo creo listo' (I believe him (to be) smart); (iii) preposition
stranding differences; (iv) word order contrasts in wh-clauses; and (v) the
that-trace effect, resulting from the conflict of a NOM wh-trace occurring in
an OBJ-marked [Spec, CP] in English, but not Spanish. The account, moreover,
resolves the structural ambiguities initially motivating Minimality.
____________
PHONOLOGY WORKSHOP
on Tuesday, 16 November
7:30 p.m., Cordura Hall, Second-Floor Lounge
Is the Mora Phonetically Real?
Kathleen A. Hubbard
University of California, Berkeley
There has been little discussion in the phonological literature of how (or
even whether) syllabic and moraic representations are related to phonetic
realization. The purpose of this paper is to offer substantive phonetic
evidence for or against phonological claims about moras and syllables. An
obvious place to look for such evidence is in Bantu languages, which are rich
in prosodic phenomena such as tone assignment, length distinctions,
compensatory lengthening, and quantity-sensitive phonological and
morphological rules. I give three types of acoustic evidence for a regular
mapping between prosodic structure and surface timing, and then examine the
nature of that mapping. In the first experiment, I show that there is
phonetic maintenance of phonological mora count at the level of the word in
Runyambo and Luganda (cf. Port, Dalby, and O'Dell 1987 for Japanese). In
Experiment 2, I examine the well-known process of compensatory lengthening of
vowels before a nasal-consonant sequence (Clements 1986), and show how
phonological consequences of this rule are reflected in phonetic output.
Experiment 3 shows that an observed phonetic difference between languages in
VNC behavior can point to a phonological difference in the structural
representation of long vowels that is not immediately apparent.
Having shown that there are reliable correspondences between moraic structure
and phonetic timing in various Bantu languages, I move on to the question of
how the mapping between these two stages is achieved. In Experiment 4 I look
at the details of segmental compensation for the purpose of mora-maintenance
in Runyambo and Luganda: the results show that adjustment takes place both in
vowels and consonants, and that the domain of compensation is larger than a
single syllable. These data suggest an outline for a theory of phonological
and phonetic timing, one that incorporates a greater understanding of the
relationship between rule-governed and mechanical aspects of speech.
____________
CSLI TINLUNCH
on Thursday, 18 November
12:00 noon, Cordura Hall, Room 100
Rising Sun: The Book, The Movie, and The Reality
Stephen Suda
Office of Development, Stanford University
____________
CSLI SEMINAR
on Thursday, 18 November
2:15 p.m., Cordura Hall, Room 100
Prediction in Mathematics: The Wittgensteinian Approach
Wenceslao J. Gonzalez
University of Pittsburgh and University of Murcia, Spain
Prediction is a key point for developing Science and for its philosophical
study. Mathematics is used to make predictions, but philosophically this is
an almost unnoticed element: neither has it been analysed from the point of
view of its characteristics in this Science nor has it received attention from
the perspective of its contribution to the concept of "scientific prediction".
Wittgenstein has explored different aspects of this problem, especially in his
"Bemerkungen uber die Grundlagen der Mathematik".
The main objective of this talk is to clarify the topic of prediction in the
mathematical context using a Wittgensteinian approach as a means for that aim.
This will give rise to a clearer concept of "scientific prediction". To
analyse it in Mathematics, certain lines should be followed. First, the
general features of prediction and Wittgenstein's attitude towards them.
Second, prediction in Philosophy of Mathematics, comparing "prediction" with
"prophecy". Third, the role of prediction in the context of the distinction
between "calculation" and "experiment". Fourth, the interpretation of
predicting in the sphere of general philosophical tendencies, such as the
controversy instrumentalism versus conventionalism and the debate between
realism and anti-realism.
____________
SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS FORUM
on Thursday, 18 November
4:15 p.m., Building 60, Room 61-F
Flexing Structures and Fluxing Strictures
Eric Minch
Department of Genetics, Stanford Medical Center
Biology, linguistics, and the cognitive and social sciences present us with
some particularly unruly phenomena: morphogenetic differentiation,
phylogenetic evolution, linguistic change, cognitive development, economic
growth, historical/cultural transformation.
Common to all these is that they involve some type of representation by
organic (biological) systems. Part of the difficulty in understanding them
(and part of the reason for our fascination with them) lies in the fact that
they change their structure over time through interactions with other systems
in their environment. Change in structure is a tricky sort of problem to
solve, since we usually think of "structure" precisely as that part of a
system which does *not* change. We must realize that these are "systems" only
in a rather pragmatic (as opposed to formal) sense, since they have an
expanding rather than a fixed state set, i.e., they acquire new degrees of
freedom over time (or, more rigorously, their description requires new degrees
of freedom). Such behaviors have come to be subsumed within the contentious
category of "emergent properties".
Strictly, then, these are not mechanistic systems, which implies that
Newtonian reductionism won't give us an explanation. If we want to
continue our investigations as scientists or engineers, then, we have
to face some hairy epistemological questions, viz.,
* Is there an effective procedure for determining what collections of
phenomena can felicitously be considered objects?
* Can a simulated system exhibit emergence if the system-environment
boundary is specified?
* How is it possible to translate back and forth between functional and
structural descriptions?
I'd like to open up discussion of these and other questions, explore some
general principles for investigating structural change in organic symbol
systems, and present an example from research in artificial life.
____________
SEMINAR ON HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION
on Friday, 19 November
12:00--1:30 p.m., Skilling Auditorium
Placeholder: Landscape and Narrative in a Virtual Environment
Brenda Laurel, Rob Tow, and Rachel Strickland
Interval Research Corporation
Placeholder was a project that explored connections between landscape and
narrative activity in a virtual environment. Produced this past summer at the
Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada, the project was co-sponsored by
the Banff Centre and Interval Research Corporation. Three virtual locations,
based on actual places in the vicinity of Banff, were created using various
techniques of "capture" and simulation. A narrative dimension was also
developed, including characters, story materials, and various interactive
affordances. The system supported two participants. In the seminar, we will
give an overview of the project, then focus on several key issues, including
the sense of place, the concept of narrative play as an interactive form,
virtual-environment interface conventions and controversies, and
implementation issues in the medium.
BRENDA LAUREL is a researcher and writer whose work focuses on
human-computer interaction and cultural aspects of technology. She is a
Member of the Research Staff at Interval Research Corporation in Palo Alto,
California. She is editor of the book, _The Art of Human-Computer
Interface Design_ [Addison-Wesley 1990] and author of _Computers as
Theatre_ [Addison-Wesley 1991; 2nd edition 1993].
RACHEL STRICKLAND is an architect, videographer, and interaction designer.
Her work of the past 20 years has focused on cinematic dimensions of places
in people's everyday experience. She has taught film and video production
at MIT and UC Santa Cruz. Before joining Interval Research Corporation,
she directed interactive video projects for Apple Computer's Vivarium
Program and other research labs.
ROB TOW is a researcher who has two granted and three pending patents in
the realm of applied visual psychophysics and perception. He's a Member of
the Research Staff at Interval Research Corporation in Palo Alto,
California, and has worked at various research and engineering labs
including Xerox PARC, Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, Compression Labs
Inc, Fairchild Camera & Instrument, and Northrop Aviation.
____________
LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM
on Friday, 19 November
3:30 p.m., Cordura Hall, Room 100
Joint Action and Language Use
Herb Clark
Stanford University
____________