How to express ‘ express ’ ? – Pedagogical reflections from web resources

1. How to express ‘express’? –Pedagogical reflections from web resources Yiching Wu National Tsing Hua University Simon Smith Ming Chuan University Chu-Ren Huang Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica

2. Express on the Internet • Web resources,dictionaries, thesauri and corpora, are regarded as useful tools in linguistics and applied widely in pedagogy nowadays. (Biber 1993, Wichmann et al. 1997, Biber et al. 1998, Partington 1998, Hunston 1999, Sinclair 2002, Aston et al. (2004)) • Viewpoint: non-native language speaker • Goal: to gain a better understanding of current function and future directions

3. Resources on the Internet • Dictionaries: Cambridge Dictionaries Online Merriam-Webster Online • Thesauri: WordNet, FrameNet, HowNet, Proposition Bank • Corpora: BNC,Sinica Corpus, Sinorama

4. Online dictionary: CALD • The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (CALD) • Three express entries are found, based on the similarity of meaning: express (SHOW) express (FAST) express (CLEAR)

5. Online dictionary: CALDexpress (SHOW) • Examples: • Her eyes expressed(vt)deep sadness. • I would like to express(vt)my thanks for your kindness. • I'm afraid I'm not expressing(vt)myself very clearly. • Words can't express (vt) how happy I am. • These figures are expressed(vt)as a percentage of the total. • Related words: expression (n), expressionless (a), expressive (a) expressively (adv), expressiveness (n)

6. Online dictionary: CALDexpress (FAST) • Examples: • Your order will be expressed(v)to you within 24 hours. • the Orient Express (n) • express (a)train • Send this parcel express (adv).

7. Online dictionary: CALDexpress (CLEAR ) • Examples: • It is my express (a)wish that after my death, my books be given to my old college library. • Related words: expressly (adv)

8. Online dictionaries: MWOD, WordNet • The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (MWOD) • WordNet • Four entries are found based on grammatical function: express (a), express (adv), express (n), express (v) ‘to force out (as the juice of a fruit) by pressure’ ‘to cause (a gene) to manifest its effects in the phenotype’ • Two compounds in MWOD: Express Mail, pony express

9. What we can learn • meaning • grammatical functions: adjective, noun, adverb and verb. • derived words: expression, expressiveness, expressionless, expressive, expressively, expressly • compounds:Express Mail , pony express • phrases: express yourself • well-formed sentences

10. Creativity and analogy • He expressed his feelings. He expressed his anger. • my express wish your express hopes my express desire • to express how happy I am to express what a beautiful girl she is ? ? ?

11. What we cannot learn • guidance on ungrammatical uses • similarities and differences between English and the learners’ mother language • frequency of usage meaning: SHOW>FAST>CLEAR ? function: a>n>v>adv ? • unmarked (frequent) >marked (rare) (Odlin 1994, Teng 1998)

12. Online corpora: (1) BNC • the British National Corpus (BNC) (Leech 1992) • data: 100 million English words collected between 1991 and 1994. • tool: the Sketch Engine programmed by Dr. Adam Kilgarriff and Dr. Pavel Rychlý

13. Online corpora:(2) Sinorama the Sinorama Chinese-English Parallel Text Corpus (Sinorama) data: 2,373 pairs of articles in Chinese/English, published between 1976 and 2000. (103,252 pairs of sentences translated into about 3.2 million English words and 5.3 million Chinese characters) tool:TOTALrecal on CANDLE led by Professor Hsien-Chin Liou and Jason S Chang at National Tsing Hua University.

14. Part of speech distribution of express in BNC and Sinorama

15. Online thesauri:(1) FrameNet • FrameNet (Fillmore et al. 2004) • Statement frame:express (v) • Core frame elements: Medium, Message, Speaker, Addressee, Topic. • Lexical units: add, address, say, question, speak, state, statement, and discuss etc.

16. Online thesauri:(1)FrameNet –Statement frame Examples: a.Evelyn(Speaker)said (V)that she was not ready to leave(Message). b.Kim(Speaker)questioned(V)me(Addressee)over the phone(Medium). c.Evelyn(Speaker)spoke (V)feelingly about what happened(Topic). d.Evelyn(Speaker)made a persuasive statement (N). e.The teacher(Speaker)discussed (V)the recent campus incidents(Topic). • no annotated sentences of express

17. Online thesauri:(1) FrameNet –Statement frame-express Examples: a.Evelyn(Speaker)expressed (V)that she was not ready to leave(Message). b.Kim(Speaker)expressed(V)me(Addressee)over the phone(Medium). c.Evelyn(Speaker)expressed (V)feelingly about what happened(Topic). d.Evelyn(Speaker)made a persuasive expression(N). e.The teacher(Speaker)expressed (V)the recent campus incidents(Topic).

18. Online thesauri: (2) PropBank • The English Proposition Bank (English PropBank) conducted by Professor Martha Stone Palmer and Mitch Marcus at the University of Pennsylvania • SAY :express roles: Speaker, Utterance, Addressee • SEND :express roles: Sender, Thing Sent, Sent-To

19. Online thesaurus:(2) PropBank-SAY-express, SEND-express • SAY :express • Mr. Harper(Speaker)expressed (V)confidence that he and Mr. Baum can convince the board of their worthiness to run the company(Utterance). • SEND :express • John(Sender)expressed (V)his Christmas list(Thing Sent)to the North Pole(Sent-To).

20. Patterns ofexpress (v)‘to show a feeling, opinion or fact’ a. Speaker [NP]express Message [NP] b. Speaker [NP]expressTopic [NP (reflexive)] c. Speaker [NP]express Message [how-clause] d. Speaker [NP]expressMessage [that-clause] e. Speaker [NP]expressMessage [NPthat-clause] f. Speaker [NP]expressAddressee Medium g. Speaker [NP]express(Manner [AdvP]) Topic [about NP/NP] h. Theme [NP]be expressedas Relevant [NP]

21. Online bilingualthesauri: (3) HowNet express • Def: express|表示, describe|描寫, post|郵寄 • Chinese expressions related to express|表示 biaoming表明‘express clearly’, biaoshi表示‘express’ biaoxian表現‘show’, biaotai表態‘express attitude’ biaoshi guandian表示觀點‘express viewpoint ’ mingque biaoshi lichang明確表示立場‘explicitly express standpoint’ biaoshi zhongxin表示忠心‘express loyalty’ • express‘conveying a message in language’ biaoshi表示

22. Expressand biaoshiin Sinorama express: 520 biaoshi 表示: 1,843 express | : 73 biaoshi表示 (14%) ( 4%)

23. Why thematch rate is low? • Hypothesis I: The low match rate results from an asymmetry of grammatical function distribution.

24. Why thematch rate is low?Hypothesis I • BNC vs. Sinica Corpus • The low match rate does not result from an asymmetry of grammatical function distribution.

25. Why thematch rate is low? • Hypothesis II: Biaoshi 表示is also polysemous, only some of the meanings can be mapped to express.

26. Senses and meaning facets of biaoshi表示 • Liu and Wu 2004, Wu 2004 Sense 1: ‘to quote or to describe what a Speaker said’ 他表示：「這樣的定位點不容易被取代。」 ta biaoshi:「zheyang de dingweidian bu rongyi bei qudai.」 he biaoshi: “this kind of anchoring point not easy be replaced.” ‘He said, “This kind of anchoring point is not easy to be replaced.”’

27. Senses and meaning facets of biaoshi表示 Sense 2: ‘to convey emotion or attitude in language or by an action’ 李先生表示同情。 li xiansheng biaoshi tongqing. Li Mr. biaoshi sympathy. ‘Mr. Li expressed his sympathy.’

28. Senses and meaning facets of biaoshi表示 Sense 3: ‘to represent one thing in terms of another’ facet 1: ‘to reveal a deductive meaning’ 我這麼說並不表示我不重視可能的弊端 wo zheme shuo bing bubiaoshi wo bu zhongshi keneng de biduan. I so say do not biaoshiI not concern possible malady ‘Saying so doesn’t mean that I am taking the possibility of creating abuses lightly.’

29. Senses and meaning facets of biaoshi表示 Sense 3 facet 2: ‘to reveal a substitutive meaning’ • conventional 鮮花表示愛情。 xianhua biaoshi aiqing. fresh flower biaoshilove. ‘Fresh flowers represent love.’

30. Senses and meaning facets of biaoshi表示 Sense 3 facet 2: ‘to reveal a substitutive meaning’ • non-conventional 一支國旗表示一萬尾烏魚。 yi zhi guoqi biaoshi yi wan wei wuyu. one classifier nation flag biaoshi10,000 classifier grey mullet ‘One flag represents 10,000 grey mullet.’

31. Mapping of expressand biaoshi4表示 • express‘conveying a message in language’  biaoshi表示-Sense 2: ‘to convey emotion or attitude in language or by an action’ 李先生表示同情。 ‘Mr. Li expressed his sympathy.’ • Hypothesis II: Biaoshi 表示is also polysemous, only sense 2 can be mapped to express.

32. Mapping of expressand biaoshi4表示Examples fromSinorama • a. At the end of last year, Thai Prince Bhisadejexpressed on the occasion of the retirement of Sung Ching-yun, "Papa Sung, who has worked shoulder to shoulder with our people for the development of the mountain areas for over twenty years, is now going to retire. And our farms have lost a friend and a father.” • Speakerexpress,‘Message [clause].’

33. Mapping of expressand biaoshi4表示Examples fromSinorama • "I'm quite certain that old photos of this kind can still be found in every place in Taiwan,"Liao Chia-chanexpresses confidently. • ‘Message [clause]’,Speakerexpress.

34. Mapping of expressand biaoshi4表示Examples fromSinorama • In the aura of benign competition, "for the last two years, the quality of Taiwan's products has seen a lot of progress,"expressesOtto Lin, former president of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, who has been invited to serve as a judge in the National Product Awards for the past two years. • ‘Message [clause]’,expressSpeaker.

35. Mapping of expressand biaoshi4表示Examples fromSinorama • Kuo Nan-hungexpressesthat those people usually are professors emeritus at universities. They are doing well, and don't need any modification in their lifestyle. • SpeakerexpressMessage [that-clause]

36. Mapping of expressand biaoshi4表示Systematic sporadic examples fromSinorama • Speakerexpress,‘Message [clause].’ • ‘Message [clause]’,Speakerexpress. • ‘Message [clause]’,expressSpeaker. • SpeakerexpressMessage [that-clause]. • expresssayandbiaoshi 表示-sense 1 他表示：「這樣的定位點不容易被取代。」 ‘Hesaid, “This kind of anchoring point is not easy to be replaced.”’

37. Why thematch rate is low? • Hypothesis III: (1) Biaoshi 表示is also polysemous, only sense 1 and sense 2 can be mapped to express. (2) The low match rate results from a low frequency of sense 1 and sense 2 in Sinorama.

38. Sense distribution of biaoshi表示in Sinorama

39. Why thematch rate is low? • Hypothesis II: (1) Biaoshi 表示is also polysemous, only sense 2 can be mapped to express. (2) The systematic sporadic examples in Sinorama are anomalous exceptions influenced by biaoshi表示.

40. Objects of predicate express and biaoshi

41. Objects of predicate express in BNCSentential objects * Speakerexpress,‘Message [clause].’ * ‘Message [clause]’,Speakerexpress. * ‘Message [clause]’,expressSpeaker. ? SpeakerexpressMessage [that-clause]. (0.06%, 7 out of 11,959 verbal tokens) • Expressdoes not map to biaoshi 表示-sense 1.

42. Reflections • Bilingual corpora may be influenced by one of the languages and may not reflect the other language truthfully. • Say and express belong to the same lexical frame (Statementin FrameNet), and take the same kind of participant roles (Speaker, Message, Addressee, Topic, Medium), but their syntactic behavior is by no means the same.

43. Nominal objectsof predicate express in BNC: Message a.He expressed a hope that we might meet again during the remaining two days of his stay and have a longer conversation. b.各國領袖皆表示希望戰爭儘快結束。 ge guo lingxiu jie biaoshi xiwang zhanzheng jinkuai jieshu. ‘Each leader of the countries all expressed a hope that the war will end as soon as possible.’ • biaoshi 表示+xiwang希望 ‘hope’（N）+appositive clause?

44. Messageof predicate express in BNC c.*表示他們的希望戰爭儘快結束 *biaoshitamen de xiwang zhanzheng jinkuai jieshu ‘express their hope that the war will end as soon as possible’ d. 各國領袖皆表示(他們)希望戰爭儘快結束。 ge guo lingxiu jie biaoshi(tamen) xiwang zhanzheng jinkuai jieshu. ?‘Each leader of the countries all expressedthat they hope that the war will end as soon as possible.’ • biaoshi 表示+Message [clause] • express +Encoded Message [NP] (Message [thatclause])

45. Topicof predicate express in BNC a.The Bulgarian authorities have expressedconcern over the Greek Electrical Company's programme to dam the River Mesta. b Heexpressed concern that the officials are under considerable pressure. c.*他表示關心官員們壓力很大。 * ta biaoshi guanxin guanyuanmen yali hen da. d.他對官員們的壓力很大表示關心。 ta dui guanyuanmen de yali hen da biaoshiguanxin. ‘He expressed concern about the great pressure on the officials.’

46. Topicof predicate express in BNC:N and P • concern over/about, • surprise at, • belief in, • commitment to, • view on, etc.

47. Addresseeof predicate express in BNC a. He expressedto some colleagues his nervousness. b.經理向眾人表示員工及投資人均是被害者。 jingli xiang zhongren biaoshi yuangong ji touziren jun shi beihaizhe. ‘The manager expressedto the public that the employers and investors were all victims.’ • Speakerask/*express Addressee [NP] • Speaker *ask/express Addressee [to NP] • Words of the same frame may not behave the same.

48. Active and Passive sentencesof predicate express in BNC • Active: 9,326 (78%) , passive 2,633 (22%) a.Concernhas beenexpressed about extending further the Prime Minister’s powers of patronage. b.Doubtwasexpressed that Richards could maintain the unit. c.That view, albeit qualified somewhat, was also expressedby Ireland . d. The EC Trade and Agriculture Ministers, meeting in Brussels on Jan. 10-11, had restated their reservations (expressed at an earlier meeting on Dec. 23), saying that "insofar as the Dunkel paper calls into question the foundation of the Communities' agricultural policy, the paper is not acceptable".

49. Active and Passive sentences in Mandarin • In Mandarin, passive sentences are highly marked (Chu 1973). • action verbs: da 打 ‘beat’, ma罵 ‘scold’ a.爸爸 打/罵 他。 baba da/ma ta. ‘Father beat/scolded him.’ b.他被爸爸 打/罵。 ta bei baba da/ma. ‘He wasbeaten/scolded by Father.’

50. Active and Passive sentences ofbiaoshi 表示 a.他表示關心。 ta biaoshi guanxin. ‘He expressed concern.’ b.*關心被他表示。 guanxin bei ta biaoshi. ‘*Concern wasexpressed by him.’