John Hale
Graduate student
Department of Cognitive Science
Johns Hopkins University
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore MD 21218-2685, USA
Email: hale@cogsci.jhu.edu (public key)
Office telephone: (410)516-7625
Home telephone: (410)467-2573
Office: Krieger 239
Office hours, Spring 2002: Thursday 1-3pm.
Education
Research Interests
My research is in the area of
computational linguistics
which is part of the larger interdisciplinary enterprise
of cognitive science. The goal of cognitive science is to understand
the mind as a kind of computing machine. Accordingly, the goals of
my research program in computational linguistics
are explanations of the mind's unique language-using abilities
in terms of particular algorithms, data structures
and computer architectures. To arrive at these explanations, I rely
on the formal methods of logic and probability, as well as the
empirical findings of linguistics and psycholingustics.
My interest in computational linguistics and cognitive science
generally derives from a philosophical interest in timeless questions like
``what is mind?'' and ``what is it to know language?'' that were
dramatically re-posed at the dawn of cognitive science in the 1950s.
However, some aspects of my research may suggest practical benefits
to society in the present through natural language-using computer systems.
My primary advisor is Professor Paul Smolensky.
Teaching Assistance
Service