October 17-25 2013
The Alberta Language Technology Lab, in conjunction with CILLDI, is pleased to welcome Dr. Trond Trosterud as a Distinguished Visitor to the University of Alberta, October 17-25. A long-time advocate for Indigenous language rights, Dr. Trosterud earned his PhD from the University of Tromsø in Norway in 2004, following a successful private-sector career in language engineering. Today, Dr. Trosterud is the Director of Giellatekno, the centre for Saami language technology at the University of Tromsø, and is one of the world’s foremost experts on developing cutting-edge language technology for Indigenous languages. Beyond his innovative work with the indigenous Saami languages of Scandinavia, Dr. Trosterud also sits on the board of Norwegian Language Council, the National Centre for Nynorsk Education, and the Kvensk Institutt, and has served as the vice president of the Northern European Association for Language Technology.
Dr. Trosterud will be giving several presentations on campus during his time here, as well as offering a hands-on workshop. Details are provided below.
Schedule of Events
Friday, October 18 – Theoretical implications of developing working analyzers for inflectional languages. 3:00-4:00 pm, CSC B2.
Monday, October 21 – Friday, October 25 – Computational morphological models for indigenous languages. Centre for Comparative Psycholinguistics, Lab 103 (basement of Old Arts Building)
Tuesday, October 22 — Why do rule-based formalisms work well for commonly-used language technological tools? 2:00-3:00 pm. Athabasca Hall 3-32.
Thursday, October 24 — Reversing language extinction. How language technology can contribute in the revitalization of the linguistic heritage of the Americas. 5:00-7:00 pm. Telus Centre, Meeting Room 134 and Atrium. Town & Gown – lecture open to the general public and academia.
Friday, October 25 — “There are no indigenous people here; we all have electric light” — Two centuries of assimilationist policy in the Nordic countries. 2:00-4:00 pm. Senate Chamber, Old Arts Building.
For further information on any of these events, see below, or contact Antti Arppe (arppe@ualberta.ca, 780-492-1935) or the CILLDI office (cilldi@ualberta.ca, 780-248-1179).