Christiansen, M.H. & Chater, N. (1999). Connectionist natural language processing: The
state of the art. Cognitive Science, 23, 417-437.
Connectionist Natural Language Processing:
The State of the Art
Morten H. Christiansen
Nick Chater
Abstract
This Special Issue on Connectionist Models of Human Language Processing
provides an opportunity for an appraisal both of specific connectionist
models and of the status and utility of connectionist models of language in
general. This introduction provides the background for the papers in the
Special Issue. The development of connectionist models of language is
traced, from their intellectual origins, to the state of current research.
Key themes that arise throughout different areas of connectionist
psycholinguistics are highlighted, and recent developments in speech
processing, morphology, sentence processing, language production, and
reading are described. We argue that connectionist psycholinguistics has
already had a significant impact on the psychology of language, and that
connectionist models are likely to have an important influence on future
research.
