Linking Words and Meanings

Presented at the OED Symposium 2013

Transcript

1. Linking Words and Meanings Marc Alexander, University of Glasgow marc.alexander@glasgow.ac.uk | @marcgalexander OED Symposium, 1 August 2013
2. 1. End the tyranny of the alphabet 2. Tag sources with meanings 3. Visually expose/explore the OED
3. ...in an arrangement determined by the accident of initial letters... (Coleridge 1956 [1803]: 956)
4. If thou be desirous (gentle Reader) rightly and readily to vnderstand, and to profit by this Table, and such like, then thou must learne the Alphabet, to wit, the order of the Letters as they stand, perfecty without booke, and where euery Letter standeth: as b neere the beginning, n about the middest, and t toward the end. Nowe if the word, which thou art desirous to finde, begin with a then looke in the beginning of this Table, but if with v looke towards the end. Againe, if thy word beginne with ca looke in the beginning of the letter c but if with cu then looke toward the end of that letter. And so of all the rest. &c. (Cawdrey 1970 [1604])
5. Alphabetical order: ‣ places unrelated items next to each other ‣ loses the opportunity to make useful connections of meaning ‣ prohibits easy browsing on one particular subject ‣ hinders seeing the opposition of near-synonyms
6. 1. End the tyranny of the alphabet 2. Tag sources with meanings 3. Visually expose/explore the OED
7. 242 run 196 set 181 strike 125 take 124 slip 120 round 115 point 112 fall 112 turn 110 roll 109 show 108 pass 107 cut 107 shoot 104 up 102 out 99 stop 95 stick 92 pitch 92 square 0" 50" 100" 150" 200" 250" 300" Modern'Polysemes'in'HT'
8. Semantic Neighbourhood ‣ Of the ambiguous words, we just have to find what suggested meaning in the hierarchy is most likely based on context: ‣ what unambiguous meanings are nearby in the text? ‣ how far away are these from the candidate meanings of the ambiguous word? I: The External World 01. The world 01.01. The earth 01.02. Life 01.03. Physical sensibility 01.04. Matter 01.04.01. Alchemy 01.04.02. Chemistry 01.04.03. Properties of materials 01.04.04. Constitution of matter 01.04.05. Liquid 01.04.06. Gas 01.04.07. Physics 01.04.08. Light 01.04.10. Condition of matter 01.05. Existence in time and space 01.06. Relative properties 01.07. The supernatural
9. Semantic Neighbourhood ‣ beat up, verb, has three meanings: ‣ 01.05.08.08.02.01 Strike a person ‣ He was beaten up and knocked flat. ‣ 01.05.08.08.02, one level away ‣ 03.03.09.01 Enlist soldiers ‣ We must beat up more after the last battle. ‣ 03.03.02, two levels away ‣ 03.09.04.03.03|07 Sail against wind ‣ The wind was high and we needed to beat up the sail. ‣ 03.09.04.13.18.01.03, two levels away
10. 1. End the tyranny of the alphabet 2. Tag sources with meanings 3. Visually expose/explore the OED
11. .".!(++' · pillow-word !(""' · nonce-word !(() · word- symbol !%*)' · blessed word !%!*' · object word !%!)' · bogy-word !%!% · key-word !%&+' · fossil !%#!' · nursery word !%##' · four-letter word !%#)' · pseudo-word !%$!' · plus word !%$%' · non-word !%+!' !2 %U3)G(2%*', -",(,9-&1,)*,(*-'6%&,2(*+3(+% synonym !$%)/.!(*) ,! 9-&14,<-22%<')G%2?#G-<(B32(&? wordhord .12. · wordloca .12. · vocabulary !"(&' · wordage !(&%' · word- hoard !(+%' · wordlore !%*) · word-stock !%!!' · lexicon !%##' · lexis !%+*' · vocab !%"!' ,!#!, -",(,4$6%&%,-", (<')G)'? lexicon !+)"'!(#% ,!#!" -",(,U3(2)'?#"%%2)*+ vocabulary !""*' ,!#!- -",(,&%+)-*#4$%(D%& lexicon !%$)' ,!#!. C)*)C3C minimum vocabulary !%))'!%)" ,!#!/ 7(4)<,>*+2)46 Basic English !%&%' ,, 4)C)2(&# <-*"34(B2%,9-&14 homoeoteleft !+$& · word-pair !%#+' · confusables/confusibles !%"%' ,,#!, 4)C)2(&)'?, <(34)*+,C)4'(D%4,)*,<-$?)*+ homoeoteleuton !(+!' · homoeoarchy !((# · homoeotel !((# · homoeotopy ! ! !"#!$#!.#!/ !(!"#$%!)! % J%&'()*)*+,'-,2)*+3)4')<,3*)'4 !, 2%X%C)< lexemic !%$)' !"#!$#!.#!/#!, !(!&%!)! % =-&1 clipung .12. · dæl .12. · word< word .12.' · vocable !$#*'!+#(/.!"(+' · diction !$)&'!+%" · whid !$+"'!(+!...,+,<(*',,,.. · vowel !$"('!+)( · accent !$%$' · phrase !$%"'!+%% · quatch .".!+#$/.!"(#'...,+,1)(2I,,,.. · mot .!.!+)$ · verb .".!"!+ · verbalism !"("' · monolog !%&%'!%)" · dicky-bird !%#&'...,+,42(*+,,,.. · dicky !%)#...,+,42(*+,,,.. · word-type !%+!' · lexical item !%+)' · lexon !%+)' !, 9&)''%* word< word .12.' !" 4$-D%* ideophone !((!'!%*% !- $&-$%&#($$&-$&)('%, 9-&1 the word !$%+' !. +6-4',9-&1 ghost word !((+' · ghost name !(%+ · ghost form !%## !/ 9-&1,9)'6,-*2?, -*%,&%<-&1%1,-<<3&&%*<% hapax legomenon !((&' · hapax !%+& !0 9-&1,%X$&%44)*+,$6&(4%#4%*'%*<% sentence- word !()(' · holophrasm !(+&'!%** · holophrase !(%%' · phrase-word !%##' · monorheme !%#"' !0#!, 34%,-" holophrasis !(+% !1 *-*4%*4%,9-&1 nonsense-name % , , m c l , ! B - p !"# v v v i ! m
12. wordhord OE wordloca OE vocabulary 1782– wordage 1829– wordhoard 1869– wordlore 1904 word-stock 1911– lexicon 1933– lexis 1960– vocab 1971–
13. wordhord OE wordloca OE vocabulary 1782– wordage 1829– wordhoard 1869– wordlore 1904 word-stock 1911– lexicon 1933– lexis 1960– vocab 1971–
14. HT: 02.08.04.05 (Words and Phrases) 430 words
15. HT: 02.08.04.05 (Words and Phrases) 430 words
16. HT: 02.08.04 (Study of Language) 4652 words
17. 4652 words HT: 02.08.04 (Study of Language)
18. 4652 words HT: 02.08.04 (Study of Language)
19. 18582 words HT: 02.08 (Language)
20. Modern English 469,470 words; those cited after 1860AD or marked as ‘current’
21. Food and Drink Health and Disease The Body Biology People Clothing Death Cleanliness Textiles (Other) Plants Action Space Physics Chemistry Movement Time The Earth Colour Properties of Materials The Supernatural Physical Sensibility Relative Properties Number Wholeness Quantity Mental Capacity Travel Leisure Work Authority Communication Armed Hostility Faith Society Dwelling Morality Education Emotion Language Possession Faculty of Will Philosophy Refusal and Denial Aesthetics Existence, Creation, Causation Constitution of Matter Animals Modern English 469,470 words; those cited after 1860AD or marked as ‘current’
22. Modern English 469,470 words; those cited after 1860AD or marked as ‘current’
23. English in the Age of Johnson 247,933 words; those first cited before 1784AD, and last cited after 1709AD
24. English in the Age of Shakespeare 207,930 words; those first cited before 1616AD, and last cited after 1564AD
25. English in the Age of Chaucer 73,432 words; those first cited before 1400AD, and last cited after 1340AD
28. HT: 02.02.22|04 (Terms of endearment, n.)