[Corpora-List] Conceptual Literacy

[Bob Parks]

Dear Corpora Listers,

I have received a small grant to help with text/clustering analysis 
of the 50,000 entries in the Wordsmyth Educational dictionary. The 
outcome would be clusters of semantically related words, which a 
lexicographer could then take the last step toward an analysis of 
lexical-semantic relations. Does anyone  have recommendations to make 
on how to approach the task?  Someone mentioned to me Jean Veronis's 
"Hyperlex" paper.

I eventually intend to investigate the conceptual dependencies that 
occur in literacy and early learning - for example, the relation 
between the concept of "corner" in ordinary language, and "angle", in 
both math and ordinary language ("What's the reporter's angle on the 
story?"). My interest is in what I am calling "conceptual literacy" - 
the growing awareness of the relation between terms and concepts, 
that is required in order to manage relations in multiple communities 
of practice with different conceptual systems linked with shared 
vocabularies.

Thanks for whatever advice/assistance is available.

Bob