Download - A Collaborative Tool for the Computational Modelling of Child Language Acquisition

Kris Jack

A Collaborative Tool for theComputational Modelling ofChild Language Acquisition

The LanguageAcquisition

Toolkit

CEA LIST, Laboratoire d'ingéneriede la connaissance multimédia multilingue,FontenayauxRoses, France

Kris Jack

IntroductionBackgroundLATDiscussionFutureConclusion

Introduction

What is the Language Acquisition Toolkit (LAT)?

It's a program that helps you to model language acquisition. You can:

● create a miniature world in which your language learner lives;

● create comprehension and production tests for your learner; and

● judge your learner's development over time.

You provide the learner, the LAT provides the environment.

Kris Jack

Background


What motivated the creation of the LAT?

● Complicated problem numerous computational →models proposed.

● Useful to compare them but difficult due to different:

● assumptions;● training;● tests; and● goals.

What is there to gain?● Time saving benefits.● Standardisation.● Holistic models of longitudinal development.

Kris Jack

LAT

IntroductionBackgroundLAT● Training● Testing● AnalysingDiscussionFutureConclusion

Analysing

Training

comprehension

Testing

+

production

Language Learner

DevelopmentalData

www.langac.com

http://www.langac.com/

Kris Jack

LAT


Analysing

Training

comprehension

Testing

+

production

Language Learner

DevelopmentalData

www.langac.com

Let's see one possible world...


Kris Jack

LAT: Training (1/2)


Your world's framework:

● miniature language acquisition paradigm (Feldman et al., 1990) – associate images with descriptions

● world of geometric objects in which actions occur and are described (action + description = event)

● objects (colours, shapes, sizes, 2D positions)● actions (moving, growing, shrinking, appearing,

disappearing, pushing another object and pulling another object, etc.)

● descriptions (defined by you)

321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

Kris Jack

LAT: Training (2/2)


321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3

a ye llow cir cle to the u pper right of the blue square

You must teach your language to the LAT

Before action (t=1) After action (t=2)

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

Kris Jack

LAT: Training (2/2)




321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3


O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

Kris Jack

LAT: Training (2/2)




321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3


O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

Kris Jack

LAT: Training (2/2)




321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3


O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

Kris Jack

LAT: Training (2/2)




321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3


O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

Kris Jack

LAT: Training (2/2)




321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3


O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

det1

adj1

n1

prep

det2

adj2

n2

Kris Jack

LAT: Training (2/2)




321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3


O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

det1

adj1

n1

prep

det2

adj2

n2

adj1 = {“ye llow”, “blue”, “red”, “green”, “pink”...}

Kris Jack

LAT: Testing


Analysing

Training

comprehension

Testing

+

production

Language Learner

DevelopmentalData

www.langac.com


Kris Jack


LAT: Testing (1/2)

What do you want to test?

● Comprehension

● description in → meaning(s) out● Production

● meaning in → description(s) out

Teach the LAT:● what to test● what results are correct

Kris Jack


LAT: Testing (2/2)

Define testing pairs (description + meaning)

321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3



O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

I want to test:● all actions

Kris Jack


LAT: Testing (2/2)


321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3



O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

I want to test:● all actions ● all shapes

● all colours

i.e. give the description square, it could be any object at any time

Kris Jack


LAT: Testing (2/2)


321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3



O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2


● all colours● all NPs

Kris Jack


LAT: Testing (2/2)


321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3



O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2


● all colours● all NPs ● all NP1s

● all NP2s

Kris Jack


LAT: Testing (2/2)


321

1 2 3

321

1 2 3

O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

O2: circle

O2: yellow

O2: x3

O2: y3



O1: square

O1: blue

O1: x2

O1: y2

Kris Jack

LAT: Analysing


Analysing

Training

comprehension

Testing

+

production

Language Learner

DevelopmentalData

www.langac.com

This is your job!


Kris Jack

LAT: Analysing


Analysing

Training

comprehension

Testing

+

production

Language Learner

DevelopmentalData

www.langac.com


Kris Jack

LAT: Analysing (1/2)


What do you want to analyse?

Kris Jack

LAT: Analysing (2/2)


How are the results presented?

● Roundbased (results from a single round)

● Trialbased (results from all rounds across a single trial)

● Modelbased (results across all trials)

Can take stages into account

6 12 18 24 30 360 42 48Time (months)

54

Prelinguistic

HolophrasticEarly

Multiword

Late Multiword PostAbstract

Abstract

Reflexivevocalisations,cooing,vocal play,babbling

Atomiclexicalunits

Multipleunits

Multiple unitswith syntacticmarkings (e.g. word order)

Multiple units with phrasal category membership

Kris Jack

LAT: Analysing


Analysing

Training

comprehension

Testing

+

production

Language Learner

DevelopmentalData

www.langac.com


Kris Jack

Discussion


What does the LAT give us?

● Time saving benefits.● Standardisation (let's play on fairly):

● training; ● testing; and● analysing.

● Analyses for longitudinal development.

Kris Jack

Future


What does the crystal ball show us?

● More complex miniature language

● More languages

● A richer language representation (e.g. tones)

● More realistic symbolic meanings

● Accessibility for nonprogrammers

● Can we integrate paradigms that do not use a miniature language?

● Wish list (www.langac.com)

It's collaborative so you can make these possible


Kris Jack

Conclusion


Key points

● The LAT allows you to:

● create training data;● create testing data; and● analyse your learning model's development

(comprehension and production).● Standardisation

● let's speak the same language● Work in progress● Collaboration

● I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Kris Jack

Thank you


Analysing

Training

comprehension

Testing

+

production

Language Learner

DevelopmentalData

www.langac.com


Kris Jack

Results (1/2)

0 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 1500.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

Stages in Production

HoloEarlyLateAbstractEnd

Number of Events Observed

% o

f Req

uire

men

ts M

et Holophrastic

Early M

ultiword

Late Multiw

ord

Abstract

Postabstract

6 12 18 24 30 360 42 48Time (months)

54
