Computational Analysis of Child Language Transcript Data

描述（由申请人提供）：儿童语言数据交换系统（CHILDES）项目旨在通过提供分析真实的世界面对面互动的新方法来拓宽和加深我们对语言发展的科学理解。该项目前几个阶段开发的计算工具构成了关于自发使用第一语言发展的新的实证研究的主要方法论基础。这项工作已导致超过6000篇发表的文章审查语言发展的各个方面，包括单词学习，声音学习，语法发展和交际发展。所有的程序和数据集都是通过网络免费提供给研究人员的。使用这些工具收集的数据库现在是世界上最大的口语数据库。然而，我们可以通过构建更强大的计算工具来实现更高的效率和分析精度。该项目的下一阶段将开发新技术，以支持语言发展研究中的分析方法。这些方法包括交互的快速计算机辅助转录，将单词自动分析成其组成部分，将单词自动链接成句法结构，用于搜索的简单用户界面，用于分析语音和手势之间的联系的方法，基于网络的对研究组之间的协作评论的支持，标准比较组规范的构建，以及用于在不同程序之间移动数据以进行替代分析的方法。此外，我们将通过构建新的基于网络的教程、新的用户界面、与其他数据库的链接以及在会议上举办研讨会和演讲来促进这些程序的使用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES) Project seeks to broaden and deepen our scientific understanding of language development by providing new ways of analyzing real world face-to-face interactions. The computational tools that had been developed in the previous phases of the project constitute the primary methodological basis for new empirical research on the development of spontaneous use of a first language. This work has resulted in over 6000 published articles examining all aspects of language development, including word learning, sound learning, grammatical development, and communicative development. All of the programs and data sets are provided over the web without charge to researchers. The database that has been collected using these tools is now the largest spoken language database available anywhere. However, we can achieve still greater efficiency and analytic precision by building even more powerful computational tools. The next phase of this project will develop new techniques to support analytic methods in the study of language development. These methods include rapid computer-assisted transcription of interactions, automatic analysis of words into their component parts, automatic linkage of words into syntactic structures, a simple user interface for searches, methods for analyzing links between speech and gesture, web-based support for collaborative commentary between research groups, construction of standard comparison group norms, and methods for moving data between different programs for alternative analyses. In addition, we will promote the use of these programs by constructing new web-based tutorials, a new user interface, linking to other databases, and conducting workshops and presentations at conferences.