AbjadNLP 2025 [1]
The 1st Workshop on NLP for Languages Using Arabic Script
CALL FOR PAPERS
CALL FOR PAPERS: THE 1ST WORKSHOP ON NLP FOR LANGUAGES USING ARABIC
SCRIPT (ABJADNLP 2025)
Co-located with COLING 2025 Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE (19-20 January
2025)
Submission URL [2]
AbjadNLP is dedicated to advancing innovation and gaining deeper
insights into Natural Language Processing (NLP) for languages that use
the Arabic script. Our primary focus is on Abjad and Ajami languages
that utilise the Arabic script or its variations. Traditionally
associated with Semitic languages, Abjad scripts represent consonants in
every syllable. In contrast, Ajami scripts denote the alphabetic use of
the Arabic script in various African contexts, representing non-Arabic
languages. We are interested in research on languages that fall under
the Abjad or Ajami categories that use the Arabic script or any
variations of it.
We invite contributions, discussions, and explorations that delve deep
into the unique linguistic structures, resources, challenges, and
untapped potential presented by Abjad and Ajami languages within the
realm of NLP and language resources. Our goal is to create synergies
among researchers by addressing the diverse phenomena and challenges
inherent in these rich linguistic traditions.
The workshop is proud to highlight our connections with the Masakhane
NLP community and collaborations with institutions worldwide, such as
COMSATS on Urdu, and the long-standing UCREL NLP Group at Lancaster
University, whose work encompasses over 20 languages worldwide,
including Abjad and Ajami languages.
Note: We chose the name Abjad for simplicity, but our focus includes
Abjad and other languages that have adopted the Arabic and Perso-Arabic
scripts, as well as Ajami languages. We acknowledge that Sorani Kurdish,
when written in Arabic script, follows an alphabet style rather than an
Abjad style.
TOPICS OF INTEREST:
* Core Technologies: morphological analysis, disambiguation,
tokenisation, POS tagging, named entity detection, chunking, parsing,
semantic role labelling, sentiment analysis, language modelling, etc.
* Applications: machine translation, speech recognition, speech
synthesis, optical character recognition, assistive technologies, social
media, etc.
* Resources and Tools: dictionaries, annotated data, corpora,
orthography descriptions, font technology, glyph rendering, text input
methodologies, spell-checking, speech-to-text solutions, BLARK
descriptions, open access corpora.
* Cultural and Sociolinguistic Considerations: text processing,
transliteration challenges, and solutions, cultural contexts in NLP
applications.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
We follow the COLING 2025 standards for submission format and
guidelines. Submissions should conform to the following types:
* Long papers: Up to eight (8) pages, presenting substantial,
original, completed, and unpublished work.
* Short papers: Up to four (4) pages, describing a small focused
contribution, negative results, system demonstrations, etc.
KEY DATES:
* 1st Call for Papers Announcement: 16 July 2024
* 2nd Call for Papers Announcement: 16 August 2024
* Paper Submission Deadline: 15 November 2024
* Notification of Paper Acceptance: 6 December 2024
* Camera-ready Paper Deadline: 13 December 2024
* Workshop Date: 19 or 20 January 2025
ORGANISING COMMITTEE:
General Chair: Mo El-Haj, Lancaster University
Programme Chairs:
* Hugh Paterson III, Collaborative Scholar
* Saad Ezzini, Lancaster University
* Ignatius Ezeani, Lancaster University
Review Committee:
* Mahum Hayat Khan, University of La Rioja
* Muhammad Sharjeel, COMSATS University Islamabad
Publication Chair: Sina Ahmadi, University of Zurich
Publicity Chairs:
* Cynthia Amol, Maseno University
* Amal Haddad Haddad, University of Granada
* Jaleh Delfani, University of Surrey
Advisory Committee:
* Ruslan Mitkov, Lancaster University
* Paul Rayson, Lancaster University
Links:
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[1] https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/abjad/
[2] https://softconf.com/coling2025/AbjadNLP25/
