Speaking of Language: Reflections on Metalanguage Research in NLP

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of metalanguage in NLP and LLMs, discussing its significance, research efforts, and future directions in the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of metalanguage in NLP, linking theoretical concepts to practical research efforts and outlining future research directions.

Findings

Defined metalanguage and linked it to NLP and LLMs

Discussed two labs' metalanguage research efforts

Outlined four dimensions and future directions for metalanguage research

Abstract

This work aims to shine a spotlight on the topic of metalanguage. We first define metalanguage, link it to NLP and LLMs, and then discuss our two labs' metalanguage-centered efforts. Finally, we discuss four dimensions of metalanguage and metalinguistic tasks, offering a list of understudied future research directions.