[Edu-sig] Python outside computer science

[Dethe Elza]

On 13-Feb-07, at 12:33 AM, Laura Creighton wrote:

<snip>
> We sat up at my house one night trying to figure out what would be
> the best way to introduce python and ended up with 'string  
> processing' --
> or language processing in general.
</snip>

Apropos of this, there is David Mertz' Text Processing in Python,  
which has a nice introductory chapter (at the back) and covers a lot  
of ground.

Downsides: I think it covers Python 2.3, so it is getting a bit dated  
now, it doesn't cover explicitly linguistics-oriented libraries such  
as WordNet or the Natural Language Toolkit.

Upsides: Available in physical form or for free via the web[1].   
Articles covering WordNet[2] (Stephen Figgins) and Natural Language  
Toolkit[3] (Mertz again) can be used to supplement.

[1] http://gnosis.cx/TPiP/
[2] http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/python/2000/11/15/pythonnews.html
[3] http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-cpnltk.html

I hope that helps.  Thanks, Rob for starting this thread.  It's good  
to hear that Python is being used so widely (part of the point of  
Python is to get out of your way and let you focus on what you're  
*really* interested in, rather than having to learn Computer Science  
first).

I'll be interested in hearing any success (or other) stories.

--Dethe


Things fall apart.  The Centre cannot hold.  -- W. B. Yeats