The Third International Tbilisi Symposium
on Language, Logic and Computation

Batumi, Georgia
September 12-16, 1999

In 1999, the Tbilisi International Symposium on Language, Logic and Computation, will be held in the Black Sea coast resort Chakvi (near Batumi) from 12th to 16th of September. The Symposium is organized by the Centre for Language, Logic and Speech (Tbilisi State University), in conjunction with the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation of the University of Amsterdam. The 1999 meeting is the third installment of a series of biannual Symposia. The first meeting was held in the Georgian mountain resort Gudauri and the second took place in the capital of Georgia Tbilisi. The Third Symposium is dedicated to the memory of the prominent Georgian logician Shalva Pkhakadze.

Themes

The Symposium welcomes papers on current research in all aspects of Linguistics, Logic and Computation, including but not limited to:

• Natural language semantics/pragmatics
• Algebraic and relational semantics
• Natural language processing
• Logic in AI and natural language
• Natural language and logic programming
• Automated reasoning
• Natural language and databases
• Information retrieval from text
• Natural language and internet
• Constructive logic and modal systems

In line with the main trend in this field we strongly encourage the submission of papers concerning applications of logic to computation and the application of logic and computation to language description and modelling.

Important dates

• Submission deadline: May 1, 1999
• Notification of acceptance: June 15, 1999
• Registration deadline: August 15, 1999
• Symposium: September 12-16, 1999

Tutorials

In parallel with the Symposium three tutorials are given by outstanding scholars for students and post-graduates. These tutorials are explicitly meant to address interdisciplinary issues in the fields of logic and language, algebraic logic, and computation and morphology. See the program for more detailed information.

Related Events

Invited Speakers

• J. van Benthem (University of Amsterdam)
• I. Boguslavsky (Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow)
• G. Gottlob (Vienna University of Technology)
• I. Melchuk (University of Montreal)
• A. di Nola (University of Napels)
• V. Pratt (Stanford University)
• A. Zaenen (Xerox Research Centre Europe, Grenoble)

Lecturers for Tutorials

• I. Hodkinson (Imperial College, London)
• L. Karttunen (Xerox Research Centre Europe, Grenoble)
• D. Westerstahl (Göteborg University)

Scientific Committee

chair

D. de Jongh (University of Amsterdam)

Th. Gamkrelidze (Tbilisi State University)

A. Voronkov (Uppsala University)

members

A. Anisimov (Kiev State University)

Ju. Apresjan (Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow)

J. van Benthem (University of Amsterdam)

W. Blok (University of Illinois at Chicago)

N. Chanishvili (Tbilisi State University)

R. Cooper (Göteborg University)

Ju. Ershov (Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk)

J. Ginzburg (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

R. Goldblatt (Victoria University of Wellington)

E. Hajicova (Charles University, Prague)

L. Jablonskij (Moscow State University)

Z. Khasidashvili (Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva)

V. Matrosov (Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk)

H. Ono (JAIST, Ishikawa)

B. Partee (University of Massachusetts)

G. Sambin (University of Padua)

E. Vallduvi (University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona)

C. Vogel (Trinity College, Dublin)

Organizing Committee

general

I. van Loon (University of Amsterdam, Chair)

P. Dekker (University of Amsterdam)

G. Erbach (Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken)

V. Finn (Institute for Scientific & Technical Information, Moscow)

G. Gaprindashvili (University of Minnesota)

T. Kutsia (Institute of Symbolic Computation, University of Linz)

D. Pearce (GmbH, Saarbrücken)

E. Tavadze-Melini (Royal Technical High School, Stockholm)

local

T. Khurodze (pro-rector of the Tbilisi State University, Chair)

J. Antidze, R. Asatiani, M. Abashidze, G.Bezhanishvili, R. Grigolia,

E. Soselia, L. Chkaidze, G. Chikoidze, L. Godabrelidze,

N. Javashvili, L. Lortkipanidze, M. Tandashvili
(all Georgian Academy of Sciences)

Kh. Rukhaia, K. Phkhakadze, N. Shengelaia (Tbilisi State University)

D. Baladze, M. Putkaradze, N. Soselia (Batumi University)

Fees

The participant's fee is 200 EURO. This fee is not obligatory for participants from Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States. The costs for accommodation, including two meals a day, are 40 EURO per day. Prices for accommodation may fluctuate in the future.

Travel

Batumi can be reached in two ways:

• By plane to Tbilisi and then by bus (6 hours) or by train (1 night) to Batumi. A special bus trip is planned at Saturday 11 September, which includes a visit to Zestafoni, the place of birth of the prominent Georgian logician Shalva Phakadze to the memory of whom the Symposium is dedicated. The bus departs early in the morning.
• By plane via Trabzon, a Turkish city close to the Georgian frontier. An organized bus trip (approx. 3 hours) is planned at Sunday morning, 12 September. Participants planning to travel alone are adviced to take the following route:
  • bus Trabzon - Sarphi(at the border between Turkey and Georgia)
  • bus Sarphi - Batumi
  • bus Batumi - Chakvi
  and not the direct bus Trabzon - Batumi. Reason for this is that in the first case one will cross the border by foot, which is simpler and far less time consuming than undergo thorough customs examinations with the rest of bus passengers.
  One could also take one of the private mini buses or taxi's that are waiting at the airport of Trabzon.

A visa can be obtained at the airport. All participants will get a letter of invitation to facilitate the procedure of getting a visa.

Location

Georgia is an ancient country situated between Black and Kaspian Seas, Caucasus Mountains and Turkey. This is the country of the Golden Fleece, myth of Argonauts, Jason and Medea, Promethee, chained to the Caucasus Mountains. Georgia is famous for its high quality wines, exquisite cuisine and cordial hospitality.

The Symposium will be hosted by the Tbilisi State University, the chief centre of education in the country which has several outstanding scholars in science, art and politics among its graduates. The conference's venue---Batumi University---is the main educational centre of the region.

The Symposium will be held in Chakvi, a sea resort near Batumi, which is the main city of Georgian subtropical region Adjara. Batumi is encircled by the Black Sea resorts: Makhindjauri, the Green Cape, Tsikhisdziri, aand Kobuleti. The environment of the city abounds with citric and tea plantations, magnolia, palm, eucalyptus and bay tree groves. Near the Green Cape the famous Botanical Garden is situated. The climate is mild, seawater warm, the bathing season lasts from May to October. The symposium site as well as the hotel is:

Chakvi Hotel "Oasis"
Phone: +995 3222 402030/407619/587419
Fax: +995 3222 75870

Registration and information

For information about registration, please contact Ingrid van Loon (address below). For more information one may also contact:

About Georgia