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Forms of figurative language such as metaphor and metonymy are key resources for communicating domain-specific information in an accessible way (e.g. in political discourse, presenting an argument can be described as "attacking an opponent's position", or in health discourse, infection can be described in terms of microbes "attacking someone's body"). Modelling such patterns of communication is a key aim of academic disciplines such as linguistics, discourse studies, and psycholinguistics, and understanding such phenomena is an emerging goal within Artificial Intelligence and the related field of Natural Language Processing. A particularly interesting current area of research is work on automatically generating as well as understanding metaphor, which are both emerging as important sites for addressing long-standing problems in linguistics, artificial intelligence, and cognitive science.

To facilitate communication about such efforts, we are planning a two-day workshop on modelling the meanings and patterns of health and political conflict, where discourse in these domains typically gives rise to some of the richest and most figurative forms of human discourse. The workshop will take place at the University of Birmingham, and will be jointly organized through the University's Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) as well as the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB).

We are calling for 500 word abstracts for presentations at this workshop, which may report research in progress, as well as more finished research. To coincide with IAS activities over lapping with the workshop, we are also planning a special session on the morning of the second day dedicated to corpus and computational resources, such as FrameNet, WordNet, Propbank, and Ontonotes (to name a few), and if you wish to present in this, please mark your abstract as for the "Special Session".

Example topics, by no means exhaustive (please see the website address given below for more details):

• Computational and non-computational approaches to the understanding and production of figurative language
• Applications of work on the understanding and production of figurative language
• Forms of figurative language not so frequently considered (irony, and the like)
• Emotional/evaluative content of figurative language
• Figurative language across different societies and cultures
• The role of figurative language in communicating about illness
• The role of figurative language in communicating about political conflict
• The role of figurative language in coping with difficulties in everyday communication, where such difficulties may stem from illness, unfamiliarity with a new situation, language learning, etc
• The prospects for natural language processing technology to help in dealing with differences in communication, especially where such communication involves figurative language
• How intelligent technology that is able to handle figurative language might help improve social interactions for disadvantaged members of society (e.g., the elderly, mentally ill)

Submission is by abstract only, and will be through easychair -- see the following workshop website for details: Workshop homepage

Please note the following regarding registration:

• AISB events are abstract-only and free for all AISB members.
• Registration for the event is free but participants who are not members of the University of Birmingham must become AISB members, and prospective participants who are not at the University of Birmingham need to be current AISB members as a condition of registration. This applies to speakers and audience alike.
• Such membership can be arranged and paid for in advance by submitting a completed application form to the Executive Office. Those submitting such applications are then eligible to a year's membership of the Society.
• Because this workshop is sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Birmingham, participants from the University need not become members of AISB, although they are encouraged to consider the possibility.
• Please note that AISB is in effect a cognitive science society, not a society that is focussed narrowly on computational models. Events organized by AISB are often in non-computational areas (such as linguistics, philosophy, psychology and the arts). We strongly welcome new members from such areas.
• It should also be pointed out that there are are special, very low membership rates for attendees who are students, unemployed or retired.
• For further information, please see: AISB website
  

Important dates:

• Abstracts of no more than 500 words (plus references, if desired) are to be submitted by 23rd June
• Notification of decision by 7th July
• Registration must be by 18th July
• Workshop: 18th--19th August 2014
  

Organisers:
Professor John Barnden, School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, UK, J.A.Barnden AT cs.bham.ac.uk
Dr. Andrew Gargett, School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, UK, A.D.Gargett AT cs.bham.ac.uk