Linguistics 5801: Computational Linguistics I

The course is part of the two-course introduction to CL. The second half, 5802, focuses on data-intensive, statistical CL and is offered in Spring.

Instructor: William Schuler

• Office: Oxley 101A (or by Zoom, see Carmen)

• Email: (my last name).77@osu.edu

• Office hours: Thursday 3:40--5:00pm, Friday (zoom) 3:00--3:40, or by appointment (just email me)

Prereqs: LING 2001 or 3802 or 3802H or 4200 or 4400 or any 5000-level LING course or any CSE course or grad standing or permission of instructor.

Web site: http://www.ling.osu.edu/~schuler/courses/5801. The updated syllabus, assignments, slides, etc. will be posted here, so check it regularly.

Network account: If you are not able to run python or do assignments on your own computer, you can get a linguistics network account to use lab machines in Oxley Hall. You can set this up with Jim Harmon in Oxley 118 during normal working hours.

Computer lab facilities: With your linguistics network account, you can use the linguistics computer lab in Oxley 218. The computers in this lab are installed with all software required for this course. If software does not appear to be working, you should contact Jim Harmon (Oxley 118) during normal working hours.

Course Content: (blue highlighted lectures focus on programming language concepts, orange are due dates)

Wk	Due Monday 11:59PM	Lecture: Tuesday	Due Wednesday 11:59PM	Lecture: Thursday
1		8/26 welcome, set notation, finite state automata		8/28 regular expressions, regular languages, tools: grep, sed, perl
2		9/2 --- PS1 handout, sample Makefile, sample text unix scripts, tools: make		9/4 (cont'd)
3		9/9 programming concepts, implementing FSAs, tools: python		9/11 (cont'd)
4	9/15 PS1 due	9/16 --- PS2 handout fsarec.py data files and projects		9/18 (cont'd)
5		9/23 program correctness, complexity, generalization		9/25 context-free grammars, context-free languages
6	9/29 PS2 due	9/30 (cont'd)		10/2 string recursion, pushdown automata
7		10/7 --- PS3 handout, LN8.5 practice 1 solution recursion in functions and data structures, tools: tree.py, model.py		10/9 dynamic programming, implementing CFG recognizers
8		10/14 parsing, semiring abstraction	(autumn break)	(autumn break)
9	10/20 PS3 due	10/21 probability		10/23 generative models
10		10/28 --- PS4 handout, LN13.9 practice 3 solution (cont'd)		10/30 message passing
11		11/4 (cont'd)		11/6 sequence model inference, incremental parsing
12	11/10 PS4 due	(Veterans Day)		11/13 (cont'd)
13		11/18 --- PS5 handout simplewiki.gcg15.linetrees linear algebra		11/20 semantic parsing
14		11/25 dimensionality reduction and vector semantics	(Thanksgiving)	(Thanksgiving)
15	12/1 PS5 due	12/2 --- PS6 handout functional programming		12/4 lambda calculus semantics
16		12/9 (cont'd)	(end of term)	(end of term)
17	12/15 PS6 due	(end of term)	(end of term)	(end of term)

Successful course participation involves:

• Regular attendance and active participation (20% of grade).

• Completing five problem set assignments, some paper and pencil, some programming (handed out about a week and a half before they are due, see schedule), handed in through Carmen (60%). Late assignments are only accepted if extensions are requested and granted, and are penalized 20% on a per-question basis, so try to submit as many questions as possible on time.

• A project (problem set 5), to be handed in through Carmen (20%).

Faculty feedback and response time:

• Assignments: you can generally expect feedback within 7 days.
• Email: I will reply to e-mails within 24 hours on work days.
• Discussion board: I will check and reply to messages in the discussion boards within 24 hours on work days.

Student participation requirements: Consistent engagement is expected. If any problems arise relative to attendance, please contact the instructor as soon as possible. Communication is important. You are encouraged to participate during class, ask questions, work on in-class problems in small groups, and share your experiences relative to the subjects and discussion that day.

Attendance and active participation often impacts your performance in a meaningful way, so it will be beneficial for you to attend this course synchronously as much as possible. The lecture slides will be posted on CarmenCanvas, so if you do miss a lecture, you are expected to view the missed material before the next lecture.

Students with Disabilities: The University strives to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers based on your disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions), please let me know immediately so that we can privately discuss options. To establish reasonable accommodations, I may request that you register with Student Life Disability Services. After registration, make arrangements with me as soon as possible to discuss your accommodations so that they may be implemented in a timely fashion.

If you are ill and need to miss class, including if you are staying home and away from others while experiencing symptoms of a viral infection or fever, please let me know immediately. In cases where illness interacts with an underlying medical condition, please consult with Student Life Disability Services to request reasonable accommodations. You can connect with them at slds@osu.edu; 614-292-3307; or slds.osu.edu.

Academic Misconduct: It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term "academic misconduct" includes all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 3335-5-487). For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct http://studentlife.osu.edu/csc/.

Religious Beliefs: Ohio State has had a longstanding practice of making reasonable academic accommodations for students' religious beliefs and practices in accordance with applicable law. In 2023, Ohio State updated its practice to align with new state legislation. Under this new provision, students must be in early communication with their instructors regarding any known accommodation requests for religious beliefs and practices, providing notice of specific dates for which they request alternative accommodations within 14 days after the first instructional day of the course. Instructors in turn shall not question the sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief system in reviewing such requests and shall keep requests for accommodations confidential.

With sufficient notice, instructors will provide students with reasonable alternative accommodations with regard to examinations and other academic requirements with respect to students' sincerely held religious beliefs and practices by allowing up to three absences each semester for the student to attend or participate in religious activities. Examples of religious accommodations can include, but are not limited to, rescheduling an exam, altering the time of a student's presentation, allowing make-up assignments to substitute for missed class work, or flexibility in due dates or research responsibilities. If concerns arise about a requested accommodation, instructors are to consult their tenure initiating unit head for assistance.

A student's request for time off shall be provided if the student's sincerely held religious belief or practice severely affects the student's ability to take an exam or meet an academic requirement and the student has notified their instructor, in writing during the first 14 days after the course begins, of the date of each absence. Although students are required to provide notice within the first 14 days after a course begins, instructors are strongly encouraged to work with the student to provide a reasonable accommodation if a request is made outside the notice period. A student may not be penalized for an absence approved under this policy.

If students have questions or disputes related to academic accommodations, they should contact their course instructor, and then their department or college office. For questions or to report discrimination or harassment based on religion, individuals should contact the Office of Institutional Equity. (Policy: Religious Holidays, Holy Days and Observances)

Intellectual Diversity: Ohio State is committed to fostering a culture of open inquiry and intellectual diversity within the classroom. This course will cover a range of information and may include discussions or debates about controversial issues, beliefs, or policies. Any such discussions and debates are intended to support understanding of the approved curriculum and relevant course objectives rather than promote any specific point of view. Students will be assessed on principles applicable to the field of study and the content covered in the course. Preparing students for citizenship includes helping them develop critical thinking skills that will allow them to reach their own conclusions regarding complex or controversial matters.