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What can data-driven linguistics tell us about culture?

What can data-driven linguistics tell us about culture?. Three directions of research. Content. Theory- vs. data-driven linguistics Three directions of research Corpora and the meaning of verbal categories Discourses about languages and ideology Language, web and identity Conclusion.

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What can data-driven linguistics tell us about culture?

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  1. What can data-driven linguistics tell us about culture? Three directions of research

  2. Content • Theory- vs. data-driven linguistics • Three directions of research • Corpora and the meaning of verbal categories • Discourses about languages and ideology • Language, web and identity • Conclusion Elisabeth Burr

  3. Theory- vs. data-driven linguistics Elisabeth Burr

  4. Theory-driven linguistics • language • is looked upon from an exclusively theoretical point of view • is forced into modelsconstructed a priori • very small number of isolated phrases • in the majority of cases invented • constructed to illustrate the rules in question • invention is considered the only effective way to reach a comprehensive description of language Elisabeth Burr

  5. theory-driven linguistics • justification • the native speaker is capable of producing an unlimited number of phrases in their own language by drawing on the registers and styles which a certain type of education has put at their disposal • using naturally occurring language data would mean restricting one's own native speaker competence to the stylistic registers present in a corpus Elisabeth Burr

  6. theory-driven linguistics • dualistic conception of language • functional oppositions: • homme / uomo / hombre / man [+ masculine] • femme / donna / mujer / woman [- masculine] • linguistic levels: • Saussure: langue - parole • Chomsky: competence – performance • hierarchies: • competence / langue = centre of attraction • performance / parole = secondary manifestation of language Elisabeth Burr

  7. theory-driven linguistics • another binary opposition • core = homogeneity • periphery = all the facts which disturb it Elisabeth Burr

  8. but ... • speaking is much too complex to be studied as a mere realisation of systematic possibilities or relations • severe implications for • the type of speech which is studied • for corpus building • for the linguistic knowledge taken into account • for the speakers Elisabeth Burr

  9. Data-driven linguistics • language • is studied "in der verbundenen Rede" • naturally occurring spoken & written speech • non-dualistic theory of speech • Dell Hymes (1972) • Eugenio Coseriu (1988) Elisabeth Burr

  10. theory of speech • real language not an idealisation • opposition to Chomsky and 'common core' • speaking is a complex activity • speaking is based on different spheres of knowledge • real speech communities are heterogeneous • people • are not mono- but plurilingual • possess a socio-culturally determined knowledge of languages and language varieties • varieties and languages cannot be related to a common grammar Elisabeth Burr

  11. language varieties Elisabeth Burr

  12. Varietätenkette Elisabeth Burr

  13. homogeneity Elisabeth Burr

  14. homogeneity • system • functional oppositions • elements • procedures • of possibilities • norm • social • traditional realisations • system of traditional constraints • formed by (influential) people / institutions Elisabeth Burr

  15. knowledge of the speakers • does not correspond to variety's synchrony • thou • udire – sentire • usage of older forms • revitilisation of older forms / procedures • does not comprise just one variety • speakers know & use several varieties / languages • have rudimentary knowledge of other varieties / historical languages • languages of imitation • giorgia, seseo, yeísmo • spaghetten, mangiaren • uno momento, picco bello, dalli dalli, alles paletti Elisabeth Burr

  16. knowledge of the speakers • does not correspond to historical language • no speaker knows all the varieties • not all know the same varieties • not all know the varieties in the same way • communicative adequacy • prestige – sanctions • judgement of languages / stereotypes Elisabeth Burr

  17. state of the art • Systematic investigation into culturally bound linguistic knowledge of the speakers is scarce • despite our very elaborate linguistics of varieties we do not yet really know what is spoken, when and by whom • solution • theory of speech has to be combined with data- and / or corpus-driven linguistics • new technologies have to be exploited to the full Elisabeth Burr

  18. Corpora and the meaning of verbal categories Elisabeth Burr

  19. Corpora Paper Editions Tokens _____________________________________________________ Italian Newspapers “German Unification 1989” Corriere della Sera 19., 20., 21.10.1989 258.287 Il Mattino 20., 21.10.1989 171.501 La Repubblica 20., 21.10.1989 174.958 La Stampa 20., 21.10.1989 119.771 Total 724.517 French, Italian, Spanish Newspapers “European Elections 1994” Le Monde 12./13., 14., 15.06.1994 236.236 Corriere della Sera 13., 14., 15.06.1994 303.641 La Vanguardia 13., 14., 15.06.1994 261.133 Elisabeth Burr

  20. Corpora • corpora try to respect the knowledge of the speakers • complete editions • no reduction to core • "complete experience, that permits distinction but excludes selection" • components are a portrait of the combination of varieties in newspapers • reliable representation • of what readers are presented with • of knowledge expected from them • knowledge needs to be differenciated Elisabeth Burr

  21. Mark-up „Bibliographical“ Variable Code (Example) Value _____________________________________________________ paper <Z> <Z La Vanguardia> edition <E> <E 130694> section <S> <S Politica> origin of the text <A> signed <A firmato> anonymous <A non firmato> editorial <A Redazione> name of author <N> <N Tapia Juan> page <C> <C 01> language <L> <L Inglese> Elisabeth Burr

  22. Mark-up „Texttype“ <T> head-line <T Occhiello> slugline <T Titolo> sub-title <T Sottotitolo> abstract <T Sommario> in between title <T Catenaccio> announcement <T Civetta> article <T Articolo> front-page story <T Spalla> TV-, cinema program <T Programma> film content <T Film> commentary <T Corsivo> interview <T Intervista> column <T Rubrica> criticism <T Critica> stop press <T Flash> news in brief <T Breve> leading article <T Fondo> letter to the editor <T Lettera> listings <T Elenco> news <T Notizia> weather report <T Tempo> title of book, film, song etc. <T Nome> picture caption <T Foto> Elisabeth Burr

  23. Mark-up „Type of Speech“ <P> running text <P Prosa> quote from written source <P Citazione> quote from oral source <P Discorso> interview question <P Domanda> interview response <P Risposta> Elisabeth Burr

  24. Corpora online Paper Edition Tokens _____________________________________________________________________________________ Corriere della Sera 21.10.89 91.099 Corriere della Sera 15.06.94 98.224 Il Mattino 21.10.89 89.399 Le Monde 15.06.94 75.514 La Vanguardia 15.06.94 80.414 Elisabeth Burr

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  30. Corpus-based research • Varieties of Italian newspaper language • Presence and representation of women in Italian newspapers • the meaning of verbal categories • Phraseology – usage of patterns Elisabeth Burr

  31. The meaning of verbal categories • personal names • do not say anything about the qualities of the person • do not normally possess positive or negative connotations • cannot be used in generic terms • always refer to concrete persons of female or male gender Elisabeth Burr

  32. the meaning of verbal categories • co-occurrence of personal names with contextual features • grammatical • lexical • semantic Elisabeth Burr

  33. the meaning of verbal categories • not retrieved • names of firms (la Barilla) • names of criminal or court cases (il caso Renzi) • personal names in literary works (La morte di Danton) • personal names in the plural (i Neri) were not retained • retrieved • 13.612 personal names • 90,97% refer to men, 9,03% to women Elisabeth Burr

  34. personal names • gender sensitive • name • name & surname • gender non sensitive • surname Elisabeth Burr

  35. definite article • surname • not neutral • refers to male person • masc. article • freed from systemic function • famous / notorious Elisabeth Burr

  36. the meaning of verbal categories • speech is not an imperfect realisation of the system • the socio-cultural norm determines the meaning of certain verbal categories • the socio-cultural norm is bound up with the dominant 'world view' Elisabeth Burr

  37. Print-based research • Language & ideology • gender in grammars of Romance languages • data collection for linguistic atlases • discourses about languages • lay-linguistics and gender Elisabeth Burr

  38. Discourses about languages Elisabeth Burr

  39. discourses about languages • Ludovico Antonio Muratori (1706): Della perfetta poesia italiana, Vol. 3. Venezia • chapters IX & X • “Si difende la lingua italiana dalle opposizioni di un certo scrittore di Dialoghi. [...]” • “[...] S’ella sia molle ed effeminata. Dolcezza virile d’essa. Conformità della lingua italiana e latina.” Elisabeth Burr

  40. discourses about languages • Dominique Bouhours • controversy Orsi-Bouhours • Les entretiens d’Ariste et d’Eugène (1671) • La manière de bien penser dans les ouvrages d’esprit (1691) • entretien “Langue française” Elisabeth Burr

  41. L’entretien • Eugène and Ariste • sea-front promenade in Dunkirk • France had just reconquered Dunkirk from the English • isolated from other people • do not know Flemish Elisabeth Burr

  42. l’entretien • Introduction: French is spoken nearly everywhere • two parts governed each by a topos • Les langues suivent d’ordinaire la fortune et la réputation des Princes • Le langage suit d’ordinaire la disposition des esprits Elisabeth Burr

  43. discourses about languages • Les langues suivent d’ordinaire la fortune et la réputation des Princes • “Ibi namque romanum imperium est ubicumque romana lingua dominatur.” (Lorenzo Valla 1471). • “la fabla comunemente, mas que otras cosas, sigue al imperio” (Gonzalo García de Santa María 1484). • “siempre la lengua fue compañera del imperio” (Antonio de Nebrija 1492). Elisabeth Burr

  44. discourses about languages • Les langues suivent d’ordinaire la fortune et la réputation des Princes • frame • Que doit faire présentement pour une langue polie et parfaite la grandeur d'un monarque comme le nôtre, qui réunit en sa personne le bonheur de Charles-Quint et le mérite de François Ier? (Bouhours 1671 / 1920: 37) • Les rois doivent apprendre de lui [Louis XIV] à régner; mais les peuples doivent apprendre de lui à parler. Si la langue française est sous son règne ce qu'était la langue latine sous celui d'Auguste, il est lui-même dans son siècle ce qu'Auguste était dans le sien. Entre les grandes qualités qui lui sont communes avec cet empereur si célèbre, il a l'avantage d'être né éloquent, comme il faut qu'un prince le soit. (Bouhours 1671 / 1920: 147). Elisabeth Burr

  45. discourses about languages • Muratori • does not defend Italian against this claim • concentrates on the second part • “[...] S’ella sia molle ed effeminata. Dolcezza virile d’essa. Conformità della lingua italiana e latina. [...]” Elisabeth Burr

  46. discourses about languages • Le langage suit d’ordinaire la disposition des esprits • proof of the superiority • of French over Spanish and Italian • of French mentality over Spanish and Italian mentality • 1. part • Spanish / Italian = negative extremes • French = juste milieu • 2. part • Spanish / Italian are looked down upon from the superior position of French • criteria • language anecdotes, language judgements, language praise • changed in accord with the aim Elisabeth Burr

  47. discourses about languages • negative extremes • Fernando Herrera (1580): Annotaciones to the work of Garcilaso de la Vega – Comparacion entre la lengua Toscana i Española • Benedetto Varchi (1503-1565): ending of words in vowels, handling of consonants turn the Italian Volgare into a sweeter / softer language than Greek and Latin Elisabeth Burr

  48. discourses about languages • negative extremes • Herrera • ending of words in vowels, handling of consonants in Italian = downgraded • aim: to use the positive judgement for Spanish • gravidad – dulçura • Italian is more than once said to be effeminate Elisabeth Burr

  49. discourses about languages • Bouhours • Herrera’s judgements • Herrera’s method • Spanish: gravidad > faste and orgueil • Italian • dulzura > mollesse • ridicules the vowel ending of words and diminutives Elisabeth Burr

  50. discourses about languages “Ne dirait-on pas qu'elle ait dessein de faire rire avec ces fanciuletto fanciullino; bambino, bambinello, bambinellucio; huometto, huomicino, huomicello; dottoretto, dottorino, dottorello, dottoruzzo; vecchino, vecchietto, vecchiettino, vecchiuzzo, vecchiarello? Ajoutez à cela les mêmes terminaisons qui reviennent si souvent, et qui font une rime perpétuelle dans la prose. Le discours est quelque fois tout en A et quelquefois tout en O; ou du moins les O et les A se suivent de si près qu'ils étouffent le son des I et des E, qui de leur côté font aussi en quelques autres endroits une musique assez mal pleisante.” Elisabeth Burr

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