Since the first INTERACT Conference in September 1984, the field of Human-Computer Interaction has received increasing attention from researchers and industrial practitioners, the importance of the topic now being widely recognized. Technological developments have made it possible to seek new solutions to the problem of supporting work processes by information technology and for designing the interface between user and the machine. Computers have become an everyday and common tool in the work of many people. This has motivated the development of an interdisciplinary field of research, which now appears much more established than it was a few years ago.The INTERACT forums provide the opportunity for regular presentation and discussion of new results from research and application by bringing together the various disciplines and research approaches on a worldwide basis.
The spoken language is the most important means of human information transmission. Thus, as we enter the age of the Information Society, the use of the man-machine interface through the spoken language becomes increasingly important. Due to the extent of the problems involved, however, full realization of such an interface calls for coordination of research effortsbeyond the scope of a single group or institution.Thus a nationwide research project was conceived and started in 1987 as one of the first Priority Research Areas supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan. Theproject was carried out in collaboration with over 190 researchers in Japan.The present volume begins with an overview of the project, followed by 41 papers presented at the symposia. This work is expected to serve as an important source of information on each of the nine topics adopted for intensive study under the project.This book will serve as a guideline for further work in the important scientific and technological field of spoken language processing.