Exploring BNCXML with Xaira What is the BNC
Exploring BNC-XML with Xaira
What is the BNC? a snapshot of British English, taken at the end of the 20 th century 100 million words in approx 4000 different text samples, both spoken (10%) and written (90%) synchronic (1990 -4), sampled, general purpose corpus available under licence; latest edition is BNCXML (13 mar 2007)
Distinctive features of the BNC non-opportunistic design standardized markup system structural annotation word class annotation contextual information general availability
What's new in BNC-XML? No systematic proofing, re-editing, or re-parsing. . . Same as BNC World: texts (minus duplicates) POS tagging (but extended) Additions simpler pos codes lemmata Improvements Duplications, categorizations, segmentations. . . Coded descriptions
BNC-XML regroups texts using additional classification criteria
<wtext type="NONAC"><div level="1" n="1" type="leaflet"> <head type="MAIN"><s n="1"><w c 5="NN 1" hw="factsheet" pos="SUBST">FACTSHEET</w> <w c 5="DTQ" hw="what" pos="PRON">WHAT</w> <w c 5="VBZ" hw="be" pos="VERB">IS</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="aids" pos="SUBST">AIDS</w><c c 5="PUN">? </c> </s> </head> <p><s n="2"><hi rend="bo"> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="aids" pos="SUBST">AIDS</w> <c c 5="PUL">(</c><w c 5="VVN-AJ 0" hw="acquire" pos="VERB">Acquired</w> <w c 5="AJ 0" hw="immune" pos="ADJ">Immune</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="deficiency" pos="SUBST">Deficiency</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="syndrome" pos="SUBST">Syndrome</w><c c 5="PUR">)</c></hi> <w c 5="VBZ" hw="be" pos="VERB">is</w> <w c 5="AT 0" hw="a" pos="ART">a</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="condition" pos="SUBST">condition</w> <w c 5="VVN" hw="cause" pos="VERB">caused</w> <w c 5="PRP" hw="by" pos="PREP">by</w> <w c 5="AT 0" hw="a" pos="ART">a</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="virus" pos="SUBST">virus</w> <w c 5="VVN" hw="call" pos="VERB">called</w> <w c 5="NP 0" hw="hiv" pos="SUBST">HIV</w> <c c 5="PUL">(</c> <w c 5="AJ 0 -NN 1" hw="human" pos="ADJ">Human</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="immuno" pos="SUBST">Immuno</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="deficiency" pos="SUBST">Deficiency</w> <w c 5="NN 1" hw="virus" pos="SUBST">Virus</w><c c 5="PUR">)</c><c c 5="PUN">. </c> </s> … </p> … </div></wtext>
What is the markup for? It makes it possible for you to distinguish aids=SUBST from aids=VERB distinguish occurrences in writing from ones in speech distinguish occurrences in headings from ones in paragraphs identify contextual units like sentences and paragraphs FACTSHEET WHAT IS AIDS? AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a condition caused by a virus called HIV (Human Immuno Deficiency Virus).
Has English moved on since the BNC? types of text topics e-mail web pages / blogs SMS personal letters globalization internet Elvis Word Perfect how comparable is the Web?
Out of date? The composition (and date) of any corpus affects inferences drawn from it There aren't many alternatives Web-as-corpus: 85% of written texts aren't on the web and spoken texts? Results from monitor corpora non-replicable Copyright permissions unrepeatable Quantitative and qualitative comparative evaluations of BNC coverage are needed but “it's surprising how much is there”
What can you do with it? The BNC is a problematizing resource. . . complements (and corrects) intuition increases learner autonomy critiques the myth of the native speaker . . . for teacher and learner alike XML makes it more accessible by non specialist software (eg A 0 S in web browser)
You can use XAIRA to. . . find sample sentences cloze tests check what the text book says grammar vs usage (dis)confirm intuitions find sample specialist texts make serendipitous discoveries
Finding sample sentences some phrases that take the gerund there's no point. . how / what about. . . generatable phrases [comparative] and [comparative] sentence structures [s-initial interjection]
(Dis)confirming intuition about choices have a problem + infinitive or gerund? do you make or take decisions? about vocabulary which nouns collocate with hard? about grammar I would be grateful if you [modal]?
Finding specialised texts The BNC has an extraordinary range travel agent brochures, weather reports, formal invitations, advertising, children's talk, academic discourse, doctor's consultations, marketing meetings, oral history, jokes and anecdotes, high literature, best-sellers, leaflets, personal diaries. . . The problem is finding it use WLD principle
For learners. . . The same as teachers Pointers to follow in the quest for idiomicity collocations colligations semantic preferences semantic prosodies/pragmatic associations with particular genres/domains Can learners use the BNC “autonomously”?
The ins and outs of autonomous use Learners may need warning to. . . focus on patterns which recur, without necessarily trying to explain all the data avoid overgeneralisation. . . and encouragement to be curious browse the context investigate exceptions
What are ins and outs? (and are they the same as ups and downs)? 50 occurrences, sort left 2 colligation: (all) the ins and outs of semantic preference: know/learn/understand/keep up with/get to grips with/get down to/forget; explain/teach/guide through/give/look at semantic prosody: difficulty(? ) analysis - mainly spoken conversation, but numbers too small for reliable inference
Exploring idioms Example: idioms with point make a point the point is point out have a point high point to in point of fact starting point no point in point of view at X point what‘s the point to the point see/get/grasp the point
Exploring features of speech Examples: spoken discourse markers and back channels PS 6 NR >: [laugh] he's not a millionaire yet. PS 6 NM >: No so perhaps not, mm. Oh perhaps, perhaps he has the knowledge but has difficulty in er navigating his way to the betting shop to to do anything about it. PS 6 NR >: [laugh] PS 6 NM >: Anyway erm PS 6 NR >: Right I've. . . results see this is PS 6 NM >: Mm. PS 6 NR >: this is really what I'm [. . . ] PS 6 NM >: Yeah. PS 6 NR >: comparison of subjects within groups and between groups I thought that's PS 6 NM >: Yeah, mm. PS 6 NR >: like a typical [. . . ]
Exploring productivity of affixes How many adjectives can you think of ending in -ish? babyish, bearish, . . wankish, whorish, yobbish How many nouns starting with anti-? How about verbs?
Creative writing Examples: story beginnings Paul Auster: City of Glass It was the wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of the night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not. Ian Mc. Ewan: Saturday Everyone agrees, airliners look different these days, predatory and doomed.
Where can I get one? BNC XML: http: //www. natcorp. ox. ac. uk now available on DVD standalone single user licence or institutional licence discounted price till end June XAIRA Delivered free with the BNC (and also available free from http: //xaira. sf. net) Usable with any XML corpus Usable/ish on any platform
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