I think deep learning is a pretty hefty starting point for learning NLP. Cutting edge NLP seems to be more and more based on deep learning, but it's a rather st

I think deep learning is a pretty hefty starting point for learning NLP. Cutting edge NLP seems to be more and more based on deep learning, but it's a rather steep learning curve for a beginner. I would have thought starting with the basics (like the NLTK book) was more useful. Once those concepts are mastered, one can progress to see what deep learning brings to the field.