LINGUIST List 7.63

Sat Jan 13 1996

Jobs: Computational Ling, Help with making phonetic corpus

Editor for this issue: Ljuba Veselinova <lveselinemunix.emich.edu>

Directory

1. Dale Gerdemann, Job announcements
2. Keiichi Masuya, Call for help with making phonetic corpus

			 JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

The Division of Computational Linguistics in the Dept. of Linguistics
at the University of Tuebingen, Germany is searching for a


1. a computational linguist with research experience in the
implementation of constraint-based grammar formalisms, particularly of
HPSG. Programming experience in Prolog is required.


2. a mathematical/computational linguist or computer scientist with
research experience in feature logics and the mathematical foundations
of logic programming.


The successful candidates would be expected to take up their positions
as soon as possible. The positions are at the rank of
"Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter" (salary on the German payscale of BAT
IIa; minimum of 70 000 DM per year).

The initial contract would be until December 31st, 1996, with the
possibility of renewal for maximally five years.

Applications should include CV and an outline of research experience
and interests. Names and addresses of references would be helpful.
Applications should be sent by mail or email to the address below.

Applications received by February 2nd, 1996 will receive full
consideration.

Prof. Erhard W. Hinrichs
Seminar fuer Sprachwissenschaft, Abt. Computerlinguistik
Eberhard-Karls Universitaet Tuebingen
Kleine Wilhelmstr. 113
D-72074 Tuebingen, Germany

hinrichssfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de

Dear Linguists,

I have been looking for someone who will make or let his/her student
make good quality cassette tape or DAT recordings of US Mid-Western
accent and, if it is possible without spoiling the audio recording and
it does not give you too much trouble, video-tape recordings of
lip-movement when reading the text with the front and side views of of
the lips synchronized by means of a mirror held at the angle of 45
at the cheek. This job is to be paid for.

This is part of a funded project and the deadline exists. As the
Japanese academic year closes at the end of March, the deadline is
pretty near ahead, for which I am sorry. (The financial grant was
decided in the last December.)


What I want is this:

1) 4 to 6 male speakers of US Mid-Western accent and 4 to 6 female
speakers of the same accent: 10 speakers altogether.

2) These 10 speakers' reading of the following text:

*** This recording is made by Mr/Ms/Dr/Prof, etc 
*** at <place> 
*** on <date> for Prof. Masuya's use.

* A. The NORTH WIND AND THE SUN
*** The north wind and the sun were disputing which was the
*** stronger when a traveler came along wrapped in a warm cloak.
*** They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the
*** traveler take his cloak off should be considered stronger
*** than the other. Then the north wind blew as hard as he
*** could, but the more he blew, the more closely did the
*** traveler fold his cloak around him and at last the north
*** wind gave up the attempt. Then the sun shone out warmly and
*** immediately the traveler took off his cloak and so the north
*** wind was obliged to confess that the sun was the stronger of
*** the two.

** B. 1. bead, bead, bead.
*** 2. bee, bee, bee.
*** 3. bid, bid, bid.
*** 4. bay, bay, bay.
*** 5. bed, bed, bed.
*** 6. bad, bad, bad.
*** 7. ask, ask, ask.
*** 8. bomb, bomb, bomb.
*** 9. not, not, not.
*** 10. naught, naught, naught.
*** 11. no, no, no.
*** 12. pull, pull, pull.
*** 13. pool, pool, pool.
*** 14. two, two, two.
*** 15. bud, bud, bud.
*** 16. nut, nut, nut.
*** 17. side, side, side.
*** 18. now, now, now.
*** 19. boy, boy, boy.
*** 20. first, first, first.
*** 21. hear, hear, hear.
*** 22. forty, forty, forty.
*** 23. four, four, four.
*** 24. poor, poor, poor.
*** 25. China, China, China.
*** 26. father, father, father.
*** 27. pitied, pitied, pitied.
*** 28.merry, merry, merry.
*** 29. vary, vary, vary.
*** 30. fair, fair, fair.
*** 31. marry, marry, marry.
*** 32. horrid, horrid, horrid.
*** 33. beauty, beauty, beauty.
*** 34. pitted, pitted, pitted.
*** 35. fishes, fishes, fishes.

3) Spontaneous conversations made by these Mid-Western speakers and
the transcription of the conversations in the ordinarly spelling:
each speaker needs to be specified. One conversation may be of any
length; about 30 minutes altogether.

4) Each speaker's filling in the following questionaire

QUESTIONNAIRE

NAME

MALE/FEMALE


YEAR OF BIRTH


PLACE OF BIRTH


PLACE(S) WHERE YOU LIVED OVER ONE YEAR WITHOUT A BREAK


PLACE WHERE YOUR PARENTS COME FROM

 FATHER

 MOTHER

I will pay \100,000. (about US$952., supposing $1. \105.) plus
\20,000. for the required expenses such as management charges for
cashing the cheque, payments for the speakers, buying audio (and
video) tapes, postage and insurance.

The recordings of the readings mentioned as 2) above are supposed to
reach me at 

KONAN UNIVERSITY, DPT of ENGLISH, 9-1 OKAMOTO 8 CHOME, HIGASHINADA-KU,
KOBE 658, JAPAN 

before the end of February.

As soon as I get the recordings, I will make a remittance of the whole
amount (\120,000.) in US dollars. The receipt of the cheque must be
dispatched; unless it arrives before the account work of the
university of this academic year finishes,they cannot refund my
expenses.

I should like to have the rest of the work sent before the end of
March.

Yoshihiro Masuya, Professor of Phonetics and English Linguistics.