Department of Mathematical Linguistics
The Department of Mathematical Linguistics is involved in fundamental and applied research
in theoretical, computational and mathematical linguistics, human-language technologies, the
mathematical and logical foundations of computer science and artificial intelligence,
algorithmics, and knowledge technologies.
The Department was founded in 1977 (as the Laboratory for Mathematical Linguistics, 1977–
1985). It is the successor of the Group for Machine Translation (1964–1976), which worked
in the areas of Russian–Bulgarian automatic translation and quantitative and statistical studies
of the Bulgarian language.
Current staff of the department: Assoc. Prof. Radoslav Pavlov (PhD, Head of Department
since 1977), Assoc. Prof. Ivan Derzhanski (PhD), Assoc. Prof. Ludmila Dimitrova (PhD),
Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Pericliev (PhD), Assoc. Prof. Slavian Radev (PhD), Assoc. Prof.
Sviatoslav Braynov (PhD), Assist. Prof. Konstantin Rangochev (PhD), Assist. Prof. Lyubomil
Draganov, Desislava Paneva (Researcher), Minko Markov (PhD student), Vladimir Georgiev
(PhD student).
In the last 10 years the research staff of the Department has obtained scientific and applied
results in the following domains:
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Computational linguistics (esp. lexicography) with a focus on Bulgarian: development
of TEI-compliant lexical specifications for encoding and processing of linguistic
corpora and lexica, of annotated corpora (parallel, compatible, aligned) and lexical
resources for multilingual corpora, of lexical databases for integrated multilingual
resources and bilingual digital dictionaries.
Theoretical and contrastive linguistics: evaluative morphology; semantics, esp. the
formal modelling of semantic phenomena; aspectology; writing systems, their history
and typology; the representation of the Cyrillic script in Unicode.
Methodology of linguistics.
Computational morphology.
Knowledge discovery—building intelligent computational tools for knowledge
discovery, used for solving substantial problems from diverse linguistic fields (e.g.,
kinship semantics), distinctive feature analysis, typology and language universals.
Knowledge technologies and applications in e-commerce, security and semantic web,
human language and multimedia technologies, digital libraries and cultural e-content
management, personalisation and adaptation in knowledge delivery systems, elearning systems and content development.
Computational modelling of Bulgarian ethnological and folk historical knowledge,
with aspects of Bulgarian mentality, the structure of the sacred, and also with methods
and models of representation of these complex fields in the Internet.
The staff of the Department have been principal lecturers in the fields of Discrete
Mathematics, Algorithmics, Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence, Mathematical Logic, Multimedia and Language Technologies, Mathematical and
Computational Linguistics and Applications, in numerous universities in Bulgaria, the rest of
Europe, and the USA. Since the early 1980s the Department has been involved in organising
extracurricular activities, conferences and workshops in the domain of its research interests,
including contests and seminars in Linguistics (Theoretical, Mathematical and
Computational) for secondary school students in Bulgaria and, since 2003, the organisation of
the International Olympiad in Linguistics.
The staff of the Department have authored more than 540 publications in international and
national journals and proceedings of international and national conferences, as well as
five monographs.
The Department is the main participant in the joint research projects between IMI—BAS
and the following academies and universities:
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Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Computer and Automation Research Institute:
Mathematical Problems of Informatics (since 1978, coordinated by Radoslav Pavlov),
Development of Software Systems for Multimedia and Language Technologies (since
1986, coordinated by Radoslav Pavlov)
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slavic Studies: Semantics and Contrastive
Linguistics with a Focus on a Bilingual Electronic Dictionary (since 2006,
coordinated by Ludmila Dimitrova)
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ľudovít Štúr Institute of Linguistics: Electronic
Corpora – Contrastive Study with Focus on Design of Bulgarian-Slovak Digital
Language Resources (since 2008, coordinated by Ludmila Dimitrova)
Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Problems of the Transmission of
Information: Research on Methods and Tools for Language Technologies (since 2006,
coordinated by Ivan Derzhanski); Computing Centre of the RAS: Distributed Artificial
Intelligence (1996-1998, coordinator from IMI Sviatoslav Braynov)
National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine, Ukrainian Lingua-Information Fund:
Research and Developments in the Domain of Bulgarian–Ukrainian Electronic
Linguistic Resources (since 2008, coordinated by Ivan Derzhanski);
USA—National Science Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University: Generic Task of
Knowledge Discovery (1997–1998, coordinated by Vladimir Pericliev)
Germany — University of Hamburg: Theoretical Informatics - Computational
Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence (1987–1992, coordinated by Radoslav Pavlov
and Ruslan Mitkov); Academy of Sciences of DDR, Central Institute of Linguistics:
Methodological Problems of Grammar, Semantics, and Lexicography (1981-1985,
coordinated by Radoslav Pavlov), Semantics Criteria and Structure (1979-1980,
coordinated by Radoslav Pavlov)
Slovak Academy of Sciences: Artificial Intelligence – Natural Languages Processing
(1989-1990, coordinated by Radoslav Pavlov)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris 7 — Laboratoire de
Linguistique Formelle, LIMSI: Mathematical Linguistics (1984–1992, coordinated by
Radoslav Pavlov).
The Department participates in European research and technology development
programmes:
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MONDILEX Conceptual Modelling of Networking of Centres for High-Quality
Research in Slavic Lexicography and Their Digital Resources, 7thFP project with
Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia, Ukraine, 2008-2010 (project coordinator Ludmila
Dimitrova)
CLARIN Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure, 7thFP project
– research infrastructure of more than 70 institutions from 33 countries, 2007-2011
(contact person from IMI Ludmila Dimitrova)
ELSNET: European Network of Excellence in Language and Speech (since 1993
national coordinator Radoslav Pavlov)
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LOGOS: Knowledge-on-Demand for Ubiquitous Learning, 6thFP project with
Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, UK, 2006–2009 (project manager
from IMI Radoslav Pavlov)
HUBUSKA: Networking Centres of High Quality Research on Knowledge
Technologies and Applications, 6thFP project with Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, 2004–
2007 (project manager from IMI Radoslav Pavlov)
CHIRON: Referring Innovative Technologies and Solutions for Ubiquitous Learning,
Leonardo da Vinci project with France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, UK, 2004–
2006 (project manager from IMI Radoslav Pavlov)
CONCEDE: Consortium for Central European Dictionary Encoding, 5thFP project
with the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, UK, USA, 1998–
2000 (project manager from IMI Radoslav Pavlov)
ARCHIMED: Advanced Multimedia System Architecture and Applications for
Educational Telematics, 5thFP project with Austria, France, Greece, Hungary,
Portugal, 1998–2000 (project manager from IMI Radoslav Pavlov)
MULTEXT-East: Multilingual Text Tools and Corpora for Central and Eastern
European Languages, 5thFP project with Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary,
Italy, Romania, Slovenia, 1995–1997 (project manager from IMI Radoslav Pavlov).