[Corpora-List] Concerning LexChecker

[Nailung Tsao]

Dear all,
We are in the thick of preparing the next generation version of
LexChecker. We have an unreleased beta version that we are tweaking
now. It incorporates nearly all of the suggestions that we’ve received
from users til now and other features as well. We have created an
extended user-friendly web-interface for navigating through the
StringNet knowledgebase that powers LexChecker. For example, a search
using the word ‘count’ has as one of its results the chunk ‘it’s the
thought that counts’ (as the current LexChecker does) but in addition
shows links to ‘parents’ of this chunk, so upward to ‘it’s the [noun]
that counts’ and further up to the proto-cleft ‘it’s the [noun] that
[verb]’, each step accompanied by a link to all attested examples from
BNC (and more corpora in the future). In addition, clicking on any
part of speech appearing in any of the chunks triggers a pop-up list
of all the words attested in that exact slot (and their frequencies).
So, no need to link to examples just to see what words occupy a slot.
This and more will be part of the next release of LexChecker.

Why are we posting this now? We are delighted that LexChecker receives
queries from 30 to 40 different countries every month. Since we make
LexChecker completely accessible on the Web for free and with no user
accounts, however, most of its use and its value to users fly below
our radar. Right now we are preparing the proposal for our next period
of research funding and are posting now to ask that any of you who
have found LexChecker to be useful since it appeared last November
might email us some ‘testimonials’ on its value to you or your group,
whether in teaching, lexicography, translation or any other endeavors.
These we would include in the proposal as supporting documents to help
make our case for continued research funding for our work. It would be
most helpful if you include your name and affiliation along with
whatever you would like to say about LexChecker.

You can email your comments to: admin at lexchecker.org

LexChecker is at: www.lexchecker.org

This request for words of support or testimonials is made in the hope
that some of its value might show up on the radar for us and in turn
show up in our proposal for the next round of funding. Many thanks in
advance.

David Wible and Nai-Lung Tsao
National Central University
Jhongli, Taiwan

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