16.2215, Qs: Desiderata for a Database; Most Conservative Lang

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-16-2215. Wed Jul 20 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.2215, Qs: Desiderata for a Database; Most Conservative Lang

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===========================Directory==============================  

1)
Date: 20-Jul-2005
From: Christina Jacovides < czljacovides at yahoo.com >
Subject: Desiderata for a Linguistic Database 

2)
Date: 19-Jul-2005
From: Pete Unseth < Pete_Unseth at gial.edu >
Subject: Most Conservative Language 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:15:04
From: Christina Jacovides < czljacovides at yahoo.com >
Subject: Desiderata for a Linguistic Database 
 

The Computer Science Department at Wayne State University is working with
LINGUIST to create a linguistic database that would combine several web-based
language resources (sites containing language documentation in the form of
corpora, annotated texts, audio/visual information, etc.) into a single,
searchable, and browsable database. The hope is to organize the data in such a
way that the database can return intelligent results to a wide range of queries.
In order to make this database useful to linguists, though, the computer
scientists designing the database need to have a sense of what linguists might
require from such a database - what kinds of queries would they be making, what
types of questions are important?

They are interested in coming up with a broad list of sample questions. The list
should include questions that are similar to, but slightly more general than,
those published in the queries pages of the LINGUIST website.

I would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to share any
suggestions you may have for possible questions, any websites you know of that
might be useful, any ideas you have that might help non-linguists understand a
little more about what exactly linguists are looking for in their research and
in language documentation.

Thanks very much,
Christina Jacovides
WSU (Technician) 

Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics



	
-------------------------Message 2 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:15:07
From: Pete Unseth < Pete_Unseth at gial.edu >
Subject: Most Conservative Language 

	

A reporter recently asked me, "Which of today's languages is most like its
ancestor?"  What he wanted to know is: speakers of which of today's languages
would be able to go back in time the farthest and be able to communicate verbally?

I suspect it is a language with a written heritage.  Any speculation would  be
welcome.  If the replies warrant it, I will post a summary.

Pete Unseth

Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics 

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics


 



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