Modern Computational Models of Semantic Discovery in Natural Language

Book excerpt: Language—that is, oral or written content that references abstract concepts in subtle ways—is what sets us apart as a species, and in an age defined by such content, language has become both the fuel and the currency of our modern information society. This has posed a vexing new challenge for linguists and engineers working in the field of language-processing: how do we parse and process not just language itself, but language in vast, overwhelming quantities? Modern Computational Models of Semantic Discovery in Natural Language compiles and reviews the most prominent linguistic theories into a single source that serves as an essential reference for future solutions to one of the most important challenges of our age. This comprehensive publication benefits an audience of students and professionals, researchers, and practitioners of linguistics and language discovery. This book includes a comprehensive range of topics and chapters covering digital media, social interaction in online environments, text and data mining, language processing and translation, and contextual documentation, among others.