| 1. |
- Alissandrakis, Aris, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Visualizing rich corpus data using virtual reality
- 2019
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Ingår i: Studies in Variation, Contacts and Change in English. - Helsinki : VARIENG. - 1797-4453. ; 20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate an approach that utilizes immersive virtual reality (VR) to explore and interact with corpus linguistics data. Our case study focuses on the language identification parameter in the Nordic Tweet Stream corpus, a dynamic corpus of Twitter data where each tweet originated within the Nordic countries. We demonstrate how VR can provide previously unexplored perspectives into the use of English and other non-indigenous languages in the Nordic countries alongside the native languages of the region and showcase its geospatial variation. We utilize a head-mounted display (HMD) for a room-scale VR scenario that allows 3D interaction by using hand gestures. In addition to spatial movement through the Nordic areas, the interface enables exploration of the Twitter data based on time (days, weeks, months, or time of predefined special events), making it particularly useful for diachronic investigations.In addition to demonstrating how the VR methods aid data visualization and exploration, we briefly discuss the pedagogical implications of using VR to showcase linguistic diversity. Our empirical results detail students’ reactions to working in this environment. The discussion part examines the benefits, prospects and limitations of using VR in visualizing corpus data.
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| 2. |
- Laitinen, Mikko
(författare)
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Contacts and variability in international Englishes : Compiling and using the Corpus of English in Finland
- 2011
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Ingår i: Studies in Variation, Contacts and Change in English. - Helsinki : Research Unit for Variation, Contacts and Change in English. - 1797-4453. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The past few decades have witnessed a substantial spread of English as the language of international communication. One of the consequences of this growth of English world-wide is that there is a need to develop new corpora that make it possible to describe these expanded uses of English. To illustrate the expansion of English, this article first presents an overview of the linguistic situation of present-day Finland, a country in which English has for long been used as a foreign language with no institutional status. The various uses of English in Finland are illustrated drawing from the results of the recent large-scale survey of English in Finland, carried out at the Research Unit for Variation, Contacts and Change in English (VARIENG). These survey results provide useful background information for an on-going corpus compilation process of the Corpus of English in Finland. The article then presents the results of three case studies that explore morphological and grammatical variability in this material.
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| 3. |
- Lakaw, Alexander
(författare)
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Diachronic shifts in agreement patterns of collective nouns in 19th-century American and British English
- 2016
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Ingår i: Studies in Variation, Contacts and Change in English. - 1797-4453. ; 18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- English collective nouns and their agreement patterns have received a great deal of attention in corpus linguistics. Previous synchronic research has found evidence of variability within and across the varieties of English (e.g., Levin 2001, Depraetere 2003, Hundt 2006). This diachronic study compares the agreement patterns with collective nouns in American and British English (henceforth AmE and BrE respectively) and draws evidence from the Corpus of Historical American English (COHA), the Old Bailey Corpus (OBC) and the Corpus of Late Modern English Texts (CLMET). The study covers the time span 1810–1909 and includes the agreement patterns of a range of collective nouns from six semantic domains: (1) EMPLOYEES (e.g., crew), (2) FAMILY (e.g., couple), (3) MILITARY (e.g., army), (4) POLITICS (e.g., government), (5) PUBLIC ORDER (e.g., police) and (6) SOCIETY (e.g., generation).The results show an overall increase of singular agreement in both varieties. Moreover, the findings suggest that verbal and pronominal agreement patterns behave differently in that the latter is more likely to be of the plural kind, and that variation between singular and plural agreement exists even amongst the semantic categories. The incipient change in AmE towards the singular is visible in the 19th-century material. The expected leading role of AmE in this change (cf. Collins 2015: 29) could not be confirmed. Instead, AmE displays signs of a kick-down development (Hundt 2009a: 33) in which BrE shows a greater tendency for the singular in the 19th century, but is overtaken by AmE at a later point in time.
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| 4. |
- Vogel, Anna, 1969-
(författare)
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A cognitive approach to opposites : The case of Swedish levande 'alive' and död 'dead'
- 2009
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Ingår i: Studies in Variation, Contacts and Change in English. - Helsingfors. - 1797-4453. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present paper, opposites are examined and discussed, and a way of describing them from a cognitive perspective is suggested. Related research disagrees upon whether opposites are symmetrical, and whether concepts should be integrated in the relation of opposites. The Swedish opposites levande 'alive' and död 'dead' have been studied thoroughly in order to provide empirical data. Arguments are presented in favour of an analysis in which opposites show semantic symmetry to some extent. When it comes to distribution and domains, however, opposites do not show symmetry. Further, it is argued that concepts should be included in the relation of opposites. The asymmetries found are related to markedness, information value, Aktionsart and the prototype of the word connected to referent of the subject/NP that one of the opposites describes.
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| 5. |
- Walker, Terry, et al.
(författare)
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Features of layout and other visual effects in the source manuscripts of An Electronic Text Edition of Depositions 1560–1760 (ETED)
- 2013
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Ingår i: Studies in Variation, Contacts and Change in English. - Helsinki : Helsinki University Press. - 1797-4453. ; 14, s. n.a.-n.a.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An Electronic Text Edition of Depositions 1560–1760 (ETED) comprises faithful manuscript transcriptions of 905 depositions from various regions in England, presented in a collection of searchable computer files in different formats. In this article we first briefly describe the features of layout rendered in ETED and then focus on those that have not been represented in the edition. Among the features investigated are the use made of empty space on the manuscript pages, space lines, alignment, different types of indentation, and features of handwriting, e.g. the use of font changes and large and/or embellished letters.We distinguish two types of depositions in ETED, church court documents and criminal court documents. The former were copied down in the locality of the court in question at various stages of the court process while the latter were compiled in different localities and sent up to the appropriate local, county or regional court. We show that this difference is one of the factors influencing the choices that scribes made in their layout practices. We also show that while there is a great deal of variation in the visual effects used, it is also clear that scribes aimed at distinguishing the different components of the depositions and highlighting important information, e.g. the date of the document and the names of the parties involved. Finally, we comment on the benefits of editors coding for layout features in the interest of computerized searches and other research purposes.
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