16.2688, Qs: Endangered Language Breakdown; Software for Corpus

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-16-2688. Mon Sep 19 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.2688, Qs: Endangered Language Breakdown; Software for Corpus

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1)
Date: 16-Sep-2005
From: Serena Crivellaro < serena.crivellaro at yale.edu >
Subject: Endangered Language Breakdown 

2)
Date: 15-Sep-2005
From: Ruixi Ai < rai at fas.harvard.edu >
Subject: Software for Corpus Building 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:28:54
From: Serena Crivellaro < serena.crivellaro at yale.edu >
Subject: Endangered Language Breakdown 
 


In studying the syntax of an endangered language with a very fragmented
speech community, I have come to notice that the syntax varies across
informants, demonstrating a disintegration of the language into a several
separate extremely restricted dialects (almost idiolects). 

Different informants would produce the same sentence with an underlying L1
syntax, and then 'switch' into L2 syntax in specific clauses (not unlike
codeswitching). This syntactic mutation was regular within a speaker
(always occurred in the same environment) but varied across speakers. 

I would be interested in knowing whether anyone had heard or noticed a
similar situation in other languages, or could direct me towards relevant
(non-codeswitching) literature on the topic. 

Thank you. 

Linguistic Field(s): Discourse Analysis
                     Syntax


	
-------------------------Message 2 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:28:57
From: Ruixi Ai < rai at fas.harvard.edu >
Subject: Software for Corpus Building 

	

Dear Linguists,

My colleages and me are planning to build a corpus for ESL learners. The
potential domains for the corpus involves (mainly) the learners'
development in second language lexicon and syntactic structures. I was
wondering if there is similar database already out there and if so, what
kind of software are you using? To put the inquiry more generally, any
suggestions for a good software that meet our requirements?

I will post a summary if necessary.
Many thanks,
Ressy 

Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)
 



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