scholarly journals Where corpus methods hit their limits: The case of separable adjectives in Bambara

Rhema ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 34-49
Author(s):  
V. Vydrin
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The Other ◽  
Supplementary Data ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Reference Corpus ◽  
Corpus Data

Separable adjectives represent a morphosyntactic subcategory of the part of speech of adjectives in Bambara (< Manding < Mande < Niger-Congo, Mali, West Africa). A separable adjective is a compound lexeme consisting of a noun root designating most often a body part, a qualitative verb root and a connector -la- ~ -lan- or -ma- ~ -man-. When used predicatively, the final component of a separable adjective (the qualitative verb root) is split from the rest of the form by the auxiliary word ka or man. Separable adjectives express mainly human qualities (moral or physical), and their semantics are very often idiomatic. The productivity of this subclass is limited. In order to establish an inventory of the separable adjectives, two approaches have been followed: elicitation and a search in the Bambara Reference Corpus (which included roughly 4,110,000 words at the time of this study). The potentially imaginable number of lexemes of this type equals 570 (15 noun roots × 19 qualitative verb roots × 2 connectors). Elicitation provided 75 separable adjectives, and the corpus study, 25, 3 of which are absent from the elicitated list. This experiment proves that in studies of derivative morphology, when a linguist needs to fill out a matrix, elicitation cannot simply be replaced by a corpus study. On the other hand, the corpus data provides invaluable supplementary data that cannot be obtained through elicitation

Divergent theories, converging evidence: The constructional semantics of competing future constructions

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-114
Author(s):  
Stefan Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
The Other ◽  
Temporal Distance ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Distant Future ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Future Events ◽  
The One ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Abstract This paper investigates the alternation between two competing German future constructions, the werden + Infinitive construction and the futurate present, from a usage-based perspective. Two lines of evidence are combined: On the one hand, a pilot corpus study indicates that werden + Infinitive is more likely to be used for referring to distant-future events than to near-future events. However, syntactic factors seem to be at least as decisive as semantic ones for speakers’ choice between the two constructions. On the other hand, an experimental study taps into language users’ interpretation of sentences framed in one of the two constructions. It can be shown that the grammatical framing does not significantly affect participants’ estimates of the temporal distance of the events to which the stimuli sentences refer. This suggests that the meaning differences between the two constructions be more nuanced, e.g. pertaining to discourse-pragmatic functions.

Remarks on Receiving the C. Anderson Aldrich Award

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-334
Author(s):  
Anna Freud
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Child Psychology ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The Other ◽  
Hospitalized Children ◽  
Child Guidance ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Many ◽  
Medical Specialities ◽  
Child Psychiatrists

I take the honour which is being bestowed on me today as another welcome sign that the estrangement between pediatrics and child psychology is nearing its end and the partners on either side are contemplating a serious engagement, if not the propect of future marriage with each other. There are many other indications which point in the same direction. I only need to mention the fact that there are now places of learning where the head of the department combines in his own person training and functions in physical as well as mental child care; or that pediatricians are considered essential consultants in child guidance clinics, or that some pediatricians participate in the discussions of interdisciplinary hospital groups, or that, occasionally, child psychiatrists and even child analysts are called to the bedside of hospitalized children for consultation. There is no reason, on the other hand, to feel entirely optimistic and to relax efforts towards further re-alignment. Cooperative attitudes between the two disciplines can also be regarded still as few and far between and, above all, confined to selected medical specialities and a small number of selected, furthest advanced, and enlightened centers. There exist still many children's wards where bodily care is so paramount that any thought about the child's mental concerns is excluded as intrusive and disruptive. There are, above all, the many surgeons who, rightly or wrongly, feel that their difficult task cannot be accomplished except by determined and exclusive concentration on the defective body part which needs repair.

Wh-Questions are understood before polar-questions: Evidence from English, German, and Chinese

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Sara MORADLOU ◽  
Xiaobei ZHENG ◽  
Ye TIAN ◽  
Jonathan GINZBURG
Keyword(s):  
Interactive Learning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Wh Questions ◽  
Elicitation Studies

Abstract In this paper we consider the order of emergence of comprehension of wh-questions and polar-questions. We argue that considerations of complexity and input favour the earlier emergence of polar questions; on the other hand, if one assumes that question understanding emerges as a consequence of interactive learning this favours (certain) wh-questions, as well as a small subclass of polar questions. We offer corpus evidence from the Providence corpus that (a certain class of) wh-questions are in fact understood earlier than the polar-questions. We test this observation using elicitation studies on German and Chinese speaking children. Our results confirm the finding from the corpus study and are in line with an interactive learning perspective for the emergence of understanding of questions.

scholarly journals Corpus of Usage Examples: What Is It Good For?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timofey Arkhangelskiy
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Reference Grammar ◽  
Text Corpora ◽  
Corpus Studies ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
History Of ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Good For ◽  
Word Senses

Lexicography and corpus studies of grammar have a long history of fruitful interaction. For the most part, however, this has been a one-way relationship. Lexicographers have extensively used corpora to identify previously undetected word senses or find natural usage examples; using lexicographic materials when conducting data-driven investigations of grammar, on the other hand, is hardly commonplace. In this paper, I present a Beserman Udmurt corpus made out of "artificial" dictionary examples. I argue that, although such a corpus can not be used for certain kinds of corpus-based research, it is nevertheless a very useful tool for writing a reference grammar of a language. This is particularly important in the case of underresourced endangered varieties, which Beserman is, because of the scarcity of available corpus data. The paper describes the process of developing the Beserman usage example corpus, explores its differences compared to traditional text corpora, and discusses how those can be beneficial for grammar research.

scholarly journals Waiting and Disenchantment: Kourouma's 'Les Soleils des Indépendances' and Oupoch's 'En attendant la Liberté'

Afrika Focus ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 3 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Godwin Okebaram Uwah
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
General Condition ◽  
Good Life ◽  
The Other ◽  
Effect Change ◽  
Absolute Certainty ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Life Values

Like Samuel Beckett's characters in En attendant Godot, the protagonists of Ahmadou Kourouma's Les Soleils des Indépendances and Gnaoulé Oupoh's En Attendant la Liberté wait for something to happen to change their lives. As they wait, they ascribe to the object of waiting an absolute certainty translated in terms of recognition, realization of the promises of independence, continuity of dynasty, freedom, and other good life-values. Ultimately, disenchantment displaces hope; the object of waiting eludes them and their general condition either worsens or, at best, remains static. Paradoxically, the characters continue to wait in anticipation of a turn-around in their destiny. Waiting thus becomes a type of imprisonment. To break the impasse, Oupoh seems to advocate continued struggle and a timely confrontation to effect change. Kourouma, on the other hand, appears to endorse existential revolt and self-abnegation; in his estimation, any change that does not liberate man from his Self merely perpetuates self-imprisonment. But for both the waiting game continues, and so does the paradox.KEYWORDS : West Africa, Kourouma, literature, motives, Oupoh 

scholarly journals Comparative alternation in y-adjectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Deborah Fengyi Chua
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Morphological Structure ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
The Other ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Comparative Constructions ◽  
Shed Light

<p>There are two main ways of expressing the comparative in English adjectives. One is to precede the adjectival base with more and the other is to suffix -er to the base. For the group of adjectives ending in an orthographic -y and an /i/ sound, which I call the y-adjectives, the alternation between more and -er cannot be neatly explained by structural accounts, whether predominantly synchronic or diachronic. The idea of understanding this alternation with respect to a paradigm of comparative constructions is introduced in this thesis. This paradigm comprises a multitude of more and -er constructions (including those of y-adjectives) that share the grammatical function of the comparative. The goal of this thesis is to examine to what extent the comparatives of y-adjectives can be accounted for by the comparative constructions of other members in this paradigm, in addition to a set of syntactic, morphological and phonological considerations. Two empirical studies are reported: a study of the comparative constructions in seven corpora of British comedies spanning the 17th to the 20th centuries; and an experimental study where reading times in the context of comparative y-adjective constructions were observed in a series of self-paced reading tasks. In the corpus study, the morphology of y-adjective bases is found to be a significant predictor of their comparatives. Additionally, significant correlations are found between:   • the comparatives of y-adjectives and those of the disyllabic adjectives that are not y-adjectives (to which I have given the cover term of HANDSOME adjectives);  • the comparatives of y-adjectives and those of the monosyllabic adjectives; and  • the comparatives of y-adjectives and those of adverbs that share some formal features with y-adjectives.  The experimental study furthers an investigation of comparative alternation in y-adjectives in terms of the comparatives of HANDSOME adjectives and the morphological structure of y-adjective bases. In this study, pre-to-post treatment reading is found to be facilitated in y-adjective more comparatives by an exposure to multiple instances of more constructions from the HANDSOME adjectives. The more constructions from HANDSOME adjectives are also found to reduce facilitation in reading in morphologically simple y-adjectives paired with -er. On the other hand, the -er constructions from HANDSOME adjectives are found to reduce facilitation in reading in morphologically complex y-adjectives paired with more. The studies undertaken in this work indicate two important predictors of the comparatives of y-adjectives: the comparatives of HANDSOME adjectives; and the morphological structure of y-adjective bases. The involvement of the comparatives of HANDSOME adjectives as a predictor points to the importance of a paradigm of comparatives for an understanding of the comparatives of y-adjectives. The influence of this paradigm, combined with the influence of morphology, is argued to shed light on a question motivated by the diachronic literature on what could be suppressing the susceptibility of y-adjectives to the structural motivators for particular comparatives. Additionally, the potential for interpreting some unanticipated findings in terms of theories from psychological views on language, and in ways that remain coherent with paradigmatic and morphological viewpoints, is discussed.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing morphologically motivated transfer in parallel corpora

Target ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Defrancq ◽  
Gudrun Rawoens
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Positive Transfer ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Family ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Parallel Corpora ◽  
Literal Translation ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Process Oriented ◽  
Oriented Research

Abstract This paper proposes a new way of identifying and analysing positive transfer on the basis of corpus data. Taking stock of process-oriented research into what is called ‘literal translation’, transfer is defined as an instance in which a translator is primed into using a target language item that is formally similar to the source item to be translated, when alternatives are available. In order to measure the extent to which morphological transfer is present in translation, a study is conducted on translations of negative prefixes in parallel corpora of French, Swedish and Dutch. The corpus study revealed that (1) transfer is by far the main translation option translators choose in all corpora involved, (2) transfer is more frequent when translators have the opportunity to use a cognate prefix in the other language, (3) transfer is more frequent between languages belonging to the same language family. The results of the study contradict the generally acknowledged fact that transfer is more likely from a language which is culturally dominant to a language which is not.

How Ancient is West African Maize?

Africa ◽  
1963 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. W. Jeffreys
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
West African ◽  
The Other ◽  
Vernacular Names ◽  
Western Africa ◽  
Other Hand

Eastern Whites in Western AfricaMy article on Zaburro was written in the expectation that it would stimulate discussion over the antiquity of maize in West Africa, and the matter has been taken up by Professor Portères (1959), on whose publication Mr. Willett has relied for certain inferences in his article in Africa for January 1962. Among the interesting points brought forward by Professor Portères (1959, vi) are the groups of African vernacular names which indicate that maize was introduced by foreigners, strangers, whitemen. A similar observation had been made more than a hundred years ago by Koelle (a. 1854, v), a missionary in Sierra Leone, who wrote: ‘…the names for onion, rice, maize, &c. show that in many countries [in Africa] these articles have been introduced by foreigners.…’ Who these foreigners were Koelle, with his long list of vernacular words for whiteman to choose from, leaves indeterminate. On the other hand, underlying Professor Portères's view that it was the Portuguese or the Dutch who brought maize to the Guynee coast, lies the assumption that the foreigners, the strangers, the whitemen indicated by these vernacular names were the Portuguese and the Dutch.

The Study of ‘Social Change’ in British West Africa

Africa ◽  
1953 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 274-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Little
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
West Africa ◽  
The Other ◽  
Western Civilization ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Electric Light ◽  
Opening Paragraph ◽  
Foreign Consumption

Opening ParagraphA visitor to West Africa today will find most of the conventional trappings of a western civilization. He can travel on trains and in motor-cars and airplanes, and stay at rest-houses equipped with electric light and a flushed toilet. He can visit African homes furnished in the latest western style in which there is refrigeration and cooking is done by electricity. He will see Africans working in shops, offices, and factories, growing crops for foreign consumption, and leasing and renting land. He will visit churches and schools, play outdoor games, attend dances, performances of amateur dramatics, baby shows, and buy a flag for charity—all these activities being organized by Africans. On the other hand, he will also see a majority of Africans living in huts of wattle and daub and of grass, herding cattle, and cultivating their farms and plots with home-made implements, pounding their food in mortars, crossing rivers in dug-out canoes, dancing to the music of wooden drums, and worshipping ancient gods and spirits.

scholarly journals Sentence-initial I think (that) and I believe (that)

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Dehé ◽  
Anne Wichmann
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
The Other ◽  
British English ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
The One

Sentence-initial pronoun-verb combinations such as I think, I believe are ambiguous between main clause use on the one hand and adverbial or discourse use on the other hand. We approach the topic from a prosodic perspective. Based on corpus data from spoken British English the prosodic patterns of sentence-initial I think and I believe are analysed and related to their interpretation in context. We show that these expressions may function as main clause (MC), comment clause (CC) or discourse markers (DM) and that the speaker’s choice is reflected in the prosody. The key feature is prosodic prominence: MCs are reflected by accent placement on the pronoun, CCs by an accent on the verb, while DMs are unstressed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document