How can linguistics help a healthy internet?

[mozfest-bot]

[ UUID ] c36726d4-f2b2-4faa-9593-65d483a93498

[ Session Name ] HOW CAN LINGUISTICS HELP A HEALTHY INTERNET? [ Primary Space ] Decentralization [ Secondary Space ] Open Innovation

[ Submitter's Name ] Andrew Prescott [ Submitter's Affiliated Organisation ] University of Glasgow

[ Additional facilitators ] Diane Scott

What will happen in your session?

How voice control is implemented is a vital issue for the future health of the internet. Concern that large corporations will restrict access to voice training data has led Mozilla to launch its Common Voice project to create open voice recognition training data. We work in one of the leading English Language and Linguistics Department in the UK. Researchers in our Department collect information about how English and Scots is spoken and analyse its linguistic characteristics. They also study how the voice works. In this session, linguistic researchers will explain how they collect information about our voice and language. We will discuss whether there are opportunities to collaborate with Mozilla’s initiatives over Voice Control.

What is the goal or outcome of your session?

We want participants to learn about the range of resources created by linguistic researchers. These include open resources such as the Historical Thesuarus of the Engish Language and the Scots National Corpus. We want to build links between linguistic researchers and those working in Mozilla's Open IoT Studio and elsewhere, to see whether linguistics resources can help create more open voice control of the internet. At present, there is little contact between these researchers or awareness of potential links, and a MozFest session is a perfect opportunity to build these links. We also want to promote awareness of the fascinating research done by linguistic researchers and encourage everyone to take more interest in it.

If your session requires additional materials or electronic equipment, please outline your needs.

Some loudspeakers or access to a sound system would be very helpful, as well as a projector.

Time needed

60 mins

[cubicgarden]

Think could work with Open IOT Studio for sure, also might work nicely if 60mins?

[ileddigital]

@cubicgarden @Saallen @mozfest-bot i've added Unbox label and moved into our space. Only requirement (and i've emailed Andrew to say this) is that it will need to be 60mins to fit with our schedule.

[bunnybooboo]

cc/ @marcwalsh

[cubicgarden]

Ok cool @ileddigital