LICOTT - Computational Linguistics and Text Technology

The Laboratory of Li (nguistics) Co (mputational) and T (ecnology) of T (exts) is aimed at research and advanced teaching in the field of Computational Linguistics and its applications in the production, memorization, management and processing of text, both written and oral.

At LiCoTT there are four workstations of various platforms (Windows, Macintosh), with the possibility of access and assistance for the use of software, available online, for the treatment of the different aspects of linguistic expression. In particular, it provides the possibility to develop annotation and mark-up of texts and the transcription and analysis of speech

The main projects carried out at the Laboratory are:

• Italian Map Task: the project, funded by MIUR (Cofin) in different phases (initially AVIP, then API, then IPAR), had as its purpose the constitution of a vocal corpus of Italian dialogues collected according to the Map Task model. The Vercelli unit is, above all, involved in the pragmatic and IT aspects.
• H u m @ n o: this project was funded by the European Community under the "Leonardo da Vinci" formula, and aimed at the collection of data relating to future employment of graduates and the expectations of graduates in humanities, as well as the preparation of specific curricula for a better placement in the world of work.
• Spatiality and motion in spoken Italian: this project is still in progress and consists in the collection and annotation of oral texts elicited by different techniques (road signs, Frog story) as well as in the detection and study of the expressions of motion in a cognitive and typological paradigm. The project takes place in collaboration with the international MovEs project coordinated by the University of Zaragoza.
• Lingua, identità e tradizioni: progetto svolto nell’ambito di una collaborazione con il Laboratorio di Antropologia Multimediale, e volto alla raccolta ed allo studio del linguaggio collegato all’espressione delle tradizioni sia materiali che non; il progetto si ispira alla metodologia “Wörter un Sachen” con l’estensione verso gli “oggetti immateriali”. La ricerca continua a progredire in direzione interculturale, con particolare attenzione alle differenze culturali nella metafora e nel linguaggio giornalistico.
• La metafora cognitiva: il progetto è nato da una collaborazione con l’Università “1° Decembrie 1918” –Alba Iulia (Romania) intorno al confronto tra le metafore utilizzate nel linguaggio economico in inglese e in romeno. IL campo di indagine si è esteso alla metafora in altri campi della comunicazione, in particolare nel linguaggio poitico e giornalistico. Le metafore vengono studiate nel paradigma della linguistica cognitiva.
• Multimodalità e Media conversion: è un progetto svolto solo con risorse interne, che ha per obiettivo lo studio degli aspetti linguistici e visuali nella comunicazione, specialmente nell’ambito della pubblicità. Viene focalizzata soprattutto l'identificazione dei modelli secondo cui il parlante converte l'immagine in descrizione o comunque testo orale e viceversa. Il progetto, che ha dato come risultato alcuni articoli preparatori, è ancora in fase di raccolta dati.
• Language, identity and traditions: project carried out as part of a collaboration with the Multimedia Anthropology Laboratory, and aimed at the collection and study of language related to the expression of both material and non-material traditions; the project is inspired by the "Wörter un Sachen" methodology with an extension towards "intangible objects". Research continues to progress in an intercultural direction, with particular attention to cultural differences in journalistic metaphor and language.
• The cognitive metaphor: the project was born from a collaboration with the University "1 ° Decembrie 1918" - Alba Iulia (Romania) around the comparison of metaphors used in the economic language in English and in Romanian. The field of investigation has extended to metaphor in other fields of communication, in particular in the language of politics and journalism. Metaphors are studied in the paradigm of cognitive linguistics.
• Multimodality and Media conversion: this is a project carried out only with internal resources, which aims to study the linguistic and visual aspects of communication, especially in the field of advertising. The main focus is on the identification of models where the speaker converts the image into a description or oral text and vice versa. The project, which resulted in some preparatory articles, is still in the data collection phase.

The laboratory remains open, by appointment, to training activities on specific topics of Computational Linguistics and can host individual research activities that do not involve heavy costs for the laboratory itself. The LiCoTT can host, and has hosted, Italian and foreign scholars to carry out periods of study, training and research.

Manager: Prof. Giacomo Ferrari. For any queries, please contact giacomo.ferrari@uniupo.it.