A linguist's view of language-data processing

new field of endeavor. As with all new fields, the exact area it covers is not completely defined. Even the term languagedata processing is not yet generally accepted, although its use is increasing. The definition of the field of languagedata processing given here includes the application of any data-processing equipment to natural-language text—that is, not only the application of computing machinery, but also the application of the less powerful punched-card and tabulating equipment. It may even be reasonable to say that a purely intellectual procedure for the treatment of language data, which by its rigor and logic attempts to simulate, or allow for, the application of data-processing equipment, is a form of language-data processing, or at least a data-processing approach to language analysis. From a linguist's standpoint two purposes can be served by languagedata processing: The first of these is linguistic analysis, which will ultimately and ideally include the use of data-processing equipment to obtain analytic linguistic results. The second purpose is the use of language-data processing in information handling, where linguistics is auxiliary to the major objective. Here language-data processing is of interest for applied linguistics. It is also of interest as an area in which the usefulness and perhaps even the validity of analytic linguistic results can be tested. Concretely, language-data processing for linguistic analysis will primarily include automatic linguistic analysis or at least automatic aids or automatic preliminaries to linguistic analysis. Language-data processing for information handling includes such fields as machine translation, information storage and retrieval (if based on natural language), automatic abstracting, certain intelligence applications, and the like. All these activities can be summed up under the heading of linguistic information processing. The two aspects of language-data processing are related in