Linguistics and LIS: A Research Agenda

Linguistics and Library and Information Science (LIS) are both interdisciplinary fields that draws from areas such as languages, psychology, sociology, cognitive science, computer science, anthropology, education, and management. The theories and methods of linguistic research can have significant explanatory power for LIS. This article presents a research agenda for LIS that proposes the use of linguistic analysis methods, including discourse analysis, typology, and genre theory

Lexical typology through similarity semantics: Toward a semantic map of motion verbs

This paper discusses a multidimensional probabilistic semantic map of lexical motion verb stems based on data collected from parallel texts (viz. translations of the Gospel according to Mark) for 100 languages from all continents. The crosslinguistic diversity of lexical semantics in motion verbs is illustrated in detail for the domain of `go', `come', and `arrive' type contexts. It is argued that the theoretical bases underlying probabilistic semantic maps from exemplar data are the isomorphism hypothesis (given any two meanings and their corresponding forms in any particular language, more similar meanings are more likely to be expressed by the same form in any language), similarity semantics (similarity is more basic than identity), and exemplar semantics (exemplar meaning is more fundamental than abstract concepts)

Towards a semantic typology of specific determiners

This paper investigates properties of a class of determiners which can be loosely la- belled specific in that their distribution falls in between maximally-quantifying definite determiners and indefinites which only contribute existential quantification. Based on a sample which includes data from Buryat, Komi, Mari, Mordvin, and Turkish, I propose that suffixal determiners form a semantically natural class in that their distribution can be modelled by means of a relational component in the semantics of the determiners which relates the denotation of the noun to an antecedent. I derive the observed distributional differences between languages from the range of values available for the interpretation of this component. In particular, whether a relation of identity falls within the range of val- ues has consequences for whether a suffixal determiner triggers existence presupposition, which, in turn, has consequences both for the interpretation of the DP in question and for the inter-paradigm competition in a language

Tagging, Folksonomy & Co - Renaissance of Manual Indexing?

This paper gives an overview of current trends in manual indexing on the Web. Along with a general rise of user generated content there are more and more tagging systems that allow users to annotate digital resources with tags (keywords) and share their annotations with other users. Tagging is frequently seen in contrast to traditional knowledge organization systems or as something completely new. This paper shows that tagging should better be seen as a popular form of manual indexing on the Web. Difference between controlled and free indexing blurs with sufficient feedback mechanisms. A revised typology of tagging systems is presented that includes different user roles and knowledge organization systems with hierarchical relationships and vocabulary control. A detailed bibliography of current research in collaborative tagging is included.Comment: Preprint. 12 pages, 1 figure, 54 reference

The universality of categories and meaning: a Coserian perspective

Studies in linguistic typology have challenged the idea that languages can be analyzed in terms of a set of preestablished universal categories. Each language should instead be described “in its own terms,” a view consistent with the ‘old’ structuralist paradigm in linguistics. The renewed orientation toward differences between languages raises two questions: (i) How do we identify the meanings which are assumed to be crosslinguistically comparable? (ii) What is the relationship between language-particular categories and comparative concepts commonly used in linguistic typology? To answer these questions, this article focuses on a number of distinctions advocated by Eugenio Coseriu (1921–2002). Coseriu distinguishes three levels of meaning (designation, “signifiés,” and sense) and three types of universals (essential, empirical, and possible universals). Their relevance for linguistic typology is discussed with regard to the expression of possession and a particular diathesis in Japanese, viz. ukemi or “indirect passive.” As well as relating language-particular categories and comparative concepts, Coseriu’s approach offers a promising avenue to account for the ways language-specific meanings interact with extralinguistic knowledge and contents of discourse and texts, which are the object of translation

Tapada da Ajuda (Lisbon, Portugal) bronze age pin

A pin made of a copper-based alloy, found at Tapada da Ajuda (Lisbon, Portugal), a site dated to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy and examined by microscopy. The results of this study and the unusual manufacturing technique of the pin are presented and discussed in this paper. Typology and production technique of this object seem to indicate a Central European origininfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DETERMINING LANGUAGE TYPOLOGY BASED ON DIRECTED MOTION LEXICALIZATION PATTERNS AS A LANGUAGE DOCUMENTATION: A CASE STUDY ON JAVANESE

Every language has directed motion constructions, but the lexicalization pattern of the constructions may differ from one language to another. The similarities and differences of directed motion lexicalization patterns can be used as the basis for classifying languages typologically. This paper aims to discuss how language typology can be determined based on directed motion lexicalization patterns found in a language. In this study I use the data of Javanese to examine whether Javanese can be classified into Talmy’s (1975, 1985) typology of verb-framed or satellite framed languages. Some problems and implications of this language typology will be discussed to see whether there is interaction between directed motion lexicalization patterns and other syntactic structures. The data of Javanese show that Javanese has some verb framing and satellite framing characteristics, and so language typology is not exactly definite in the sense that there are some restrictions that need to be considered