Correct me if I’m wrong but is there any academic institution offering computational linguistics here in the Philippines?

According to one of my professors, our department’s language studies group is one of the most advanced (if not the most advanced) in the field. However, no one can claim to be an expert on specifically computational linguistics (though we have a few who are really into descriptive linguistics). I haven’t heard of anyone who teaches is locally. So I was pretty much resolved in looking to scholarship opportunities to be able to study it. Haha. Fat chance I’d end up in MIT.

I’ve been wanting to explore the field ever since I found out about it. Hey, it’s a way to merge my interest in computer science and my training in language studies. Our program is pretty much linguistics focusing on the English language and its varieties.

It’s quite funny since I recently found out that in UP, it’s the Electronics and Communication Engineering program that is delving into the matter with projects on speech analysis. I mean, I believe computational linguistics is far too complex for just a one-dimensional team of engineers to tackle. Usually, these projects involve linguists, statisticians, language experts, and even psycholinguists or cognitive psychologists belonging to a team.

While I am not challenging the competence of the EEE Department in their field, they have been studying natural language processing for a while now, after all; I just believe there’s much to be gained by involving others in the study. Well, I remember the Filipino Department was involved with a similar project. I just wonder how about our department. But I’m thinking of not just a joint project between two departments.

If we are really intent on creating a solid and tight output for the benefit of Filipinos, these projects should involve the much needed perspectives from the different disciplines. However, unless there’s something I’m not aware of, there’s not one single person involved from our group into these endeavors. And I see it as a missed opportunity for people from other fields (me) to practice their (my) expertise (?) in a supposed multidisciplinary project.

Check out these other posts:

1. On prescriptivism… again
2. The English Studies Forum
3. The originality of thought
4. Why bother with Internet Data?
5. Critical discourse analysis and blogging