Topics include:
I. HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO GET STARTED?
II. WHAT CAN WE ACTUALLY DO WITH QUANTITATIVE METHODS?
III. SAMPLE DATA AND SCRIPT FOR EXPLORATION.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
primer for digital humanities
Associate Professor of English Ted Underwood, at his The Stone and the Shell blog, writes a nice primer for newbies interested in text mining (especially geared towards digital humanities): Where to start with text mining.
Topics include:
Topics include:
Friday, June 1, 2012
Sherlock or Watson: Advice for linguists
Occasionally I get a reader asking for advice about studying linguistics. Recently, I responded to such an email and I post some of my advice here. Ignoring my advice is generally wise...
Standard Advice = Follow your dreams. Do what you're passionate about. If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen.
My tough question: Are you more Sherlock or Watson? Here's why I ask...
Reality = Be realistic about what you are willing to do (and suffer through). Everyone has dreams, but most people find it difficult to persevere through the boredom of other people's tedium to grab their brass ring. If you are a very focused person, you can accomplish your goals regardless of anything, but if you lack that near sociopathic ability to flat ignore other people and their constant distractions (think Sherlock), then you should probably have a plan B (think Watson); a good plan B involves developing a standarized set of skills that are obvious, valued and marketable. Sherlock is a "consulting detective", whatever the hell that is. Watson is a medical doctor.
Here are some specific responses to what was brought up in this specific email:
Q: You say you are interested in "semantics, morphology, philosophy of language, and possibly language acquisition."
A: Great enthusiasm, but calm down. Overreaching is the death of success in grad school. Studying everything is for retirement. Careers are built on specializations. My grad adviser once said, "there are two kinds of linguists: those who study sound, and everyone else." You seem to fall on the "everyone else" side of the house (congratulations, those sound folks are weird).
Q: "...most of the PhD linguistics students have had significant exposure to linguistics before arriving."
A: False. This is a common assumption. But remember that there are very few schools that offer a linguistics undergrad degree (as opposed to English, math, business, etc, which is offered at every college on the planet). Many people come to linguistics in at least as round-about way as you. Don't judge them, and they won't judge you.
Q: So you've "never taken an actual linguistics class"?
A: Not a problem. Buy a used copy of Language Files for $6 and work through the first 8 chapters (the rest is crap). Don't worry about the edition number, Ohio State has been recycling the same crap with new colors since 1997.
Q: "I need to get some linguistics training."
A: Not really, not yet, that's what the grad program is for. But check out the tour of BYU's excellent online corpora; Also, work through the NLTK book. I admit a computational bias, but this will give you some great tools and practice. Also try Coursera for NLP and Machine Learning. If you work through Language Files, NLTK, and Coursera's NLP class this summer, you are gold.
Q: You need "a strong piece of research to submit as a work sample."
A: True, you need a good peice of writing, but it doesn't necessarily have to be linguistics; but it should be data based analysis. You could work through one of the NLTK exercises and do a technical write up. That's a possible approach. Also, see if BYU's corpora site suggests research projects.
Q: You point out that I wrote "Linguistics is no field for mediocrity."
A: I stand by this wrt academic linguistics (professors at universities); but there are options in industry, which I discussed in this guest post on Zoltan Varju's blog.
Some additional posts to wade through:
10 easy ways to fail a Ph.D.
Tough love: An insensitive guide to thriving in your PhD (more hard science related, but some good advice).
Standard Advice = Follow your dreams. Do what you're passionate about. If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen.
My tough question: Are you more Sherlock or Watson? Here's why I ask...
Reality = Be realistic about what you are willing to do (and suffer through). Everyone has dreams, but most people find it difficult to persevere through the boredom of other people's tedium to grab their brass ring. If you are a very focused person, you can accomplish your goals regardless of anything, but if you lack that near sociopathic ability to flat ignore other people and their constant distractions (think Sherlock), then you should probably have a plan B (think Watson); a good plan B involves developing a standarized set of skills that are obvious, valued and marketable. Sherlock is a "consulting detective", whatever the hell that is. Watson is a medical doctor.
Here are some specific responses to what was brought up in this specific email:
Q: You say you are interested in "semantics, morphology, philosophy of language, and possibly language acquisition."
A: Great enthusiasm, but calm down. Overreaching is the death of success in grad school. Studying everything is for retirement. Careers are built on specializations. My grad adviser once said, "there are two kinds of linguists: those who study sound, and everyone else." You seem to fall on the "everyone else" side of the house (congratulations, those sound folks are weird).
Q: "...most of the PhD linguistics students have had significant exposure to linguistics before arriving."
A: False. This is a common assumption. But remember that there are very few schools that offer a linguistics undergrad degree (as opposed to English, math, business, etc, which is offered at every college on the planet). Many people come to linguistics in at least as round-about way as you. Don't judge them, and they won't judge you.
Q: So you've "never taken an actual linguistics class"?
A: Not a problem. Buy a used copy of Language Files for $6 and work through the first 8 chapters (the rest is crap). Don't worry about the edition number, Ohio State has been recycling the same crap with new colors since 1997.
Q: "I need to get some linguistics training."
A: Not really, not yet, that's what the grad program is for. But check out the tour of BYU's excellent online corpora; Also, work through the NLTK book. I admit a computational bias, but this will give you some great tools and practice. Also try Coursera for NLP and Machine Learning. If you work through Language Files, NLTK, and Coursera's NLP class this summer, you are gold.
Q: You need "a strong piece of research to submit as a work sample."
A: True, you need a good peice of writing, but it doesn't necessarily have to be linguistics; but it should be data based analysis. You could work through one of the NLTK exercises and do a technical write up. That's a possible approach. Also, see if BYU's corpora site suggests research projects.
Q: You point out that I wrote "Linguistics is no field for mediocrity."
A: I stand by this wrt academic linguistics (professors at universities); but there are options in industry, which I discussed in this guest post on Zoltan Varju's blog.
Some additional posts to wade through:
10 easy ways to fail a Ph.D.
Tough love: An insensitive guide to thriving in your PhD (more hard science related, but some good advice).
Sunday, May 27, 2012
New Film About Native American Languages
Below is the description for this 6 minute trailer:
This is the funding reel for one-hour documentary on John Peabody Harrington, who, from 1907 until his death in 1961 amassed the largest amount of linguistic notes on Native American languages in North America. Some of the languages he recorded have had no speakers in 60 years, but thanks to his notes, these tribes have been able to revive their languages.HT Mr. Verb
Saturday, May 26, 2012
fun and honorable
Saw "Men In Black 3". I enjoyed the first two films because they were pure fun, roller-coaster-ride sci fi with great actors. Will Smith is always enjoyable and Tommy Lee Jones has never given a bad performance (never!). But also, Rip Torn and a host of gifted comedians made the first two films pure fun. So I expected more-of-the-same bubble gum kitsch and little else.
But this film was not what I expected, and in a good way. Most sci fi series end up exploding in an orgy of one-upmanship where each successive installment devolves into the ridiculous (e.g., Doctor Who. If one episode involves the near extinction of the Earth, the next must involve the near extinction of the universe; the next again must involve the near extinction of "time itself!"; then after that, the near extinction of "reality as we know it!"...sigh).
But MIB3 chose a different path, one less travelled, and ultimately far more satisfying. A joke in the MIB series is Will Smith jokingly asking "What happened to you K?" referring to the deadpan personality of Tommy Lee Jones’s character Agent K.
A daring production team chose to use this third movie to try to answer that question. Only, the answer has nothing to do with saving the universe, reality, or even just little old New York City (though all three of those things occur). The answer has nothing to do with what Agent K has done for his mission, but rather, what he has personally chosen to give up for his duty. And as such, it became a touching and appropriate movie to see on this Memorial Day weekend.
Cynics can mock that this was a cheap marketing ploy to coincide with this particular weekend opening. Yet it met the one and only burden that entertainment and art ever need to truly meet: it worked.
It worked for me as evidenced by this post. And it worked for the packed cinema as evidenced by their spirited clapping at the end (a rarity at movies these days).
This moment comes as a poignant and deeply meaningful realization near the end of the movie. The moral of the story is that Agent K is his deadpan, grouchy self because in 1969 he realized that there is something in this life more important than his personal, selfish needs. The audience and I recognized the choice he faced, and we recognized that he didn’t hesitate to choose the option of service. Aliens, monsters, and time travel aside, this film chose to say something important and found a way to do that without cheesy clichés and I respect that.
It is a testimony to the writers that they managed to introduce a deeply meaningful teachable moment into an otherwise slapstick film, but they succeeded.
But this film was not what I expected, and in a good way. Most sci fi series end up exploding in an orgy of one-upmanship where each successive installment devolves into the ridiculous (e.g., Doctor Who. If one episode involves the near extinction of the Earth, the next must involve the near extinction of the universe; the next again must involve the near extinction of "time itself!"; then after that, the near extinction of "reality as we know it!"...sigh).
But MIB3 chose a different path, one less travelled, and ultimately far more satisfying. A joke in the MIB series is Will Smith jokingly asking "What happened to you K?" referring to the deadpan personality of Tommy Lee Jones’s character Agent K.
A daring production team chose to use this third movie to try to answer that question. Only, the answer has nothing to do with saving the universe, reality, or even just little old New York City (though all three of those things occur). The answer has nothing to do with what Agent K has done for his mission, but rather, what he has personally chosen to give up for his duty. And as such, it became a touching and appropriate movie to see on this Memorial Day weekend.
Cynics can mock that this was a cheap marketing ploy to coincide with this particular weekend opening. Yet it met the one and only burden that entertainment and art ever need to truly meet: it worked.
It worked for me as evidenced by this post. And it worked for the packed cinema as evidenced by their spirited clapping at the end (a rarity at movies these days).
This moment comes as a poignant and deeply meaningful realization near the end of the movie. The moral of the story is that Agent K is his deadpan, grouchy self because in 1969 he realized that there is something in this life more important than his personal, selfish needs. The audience and I recognized the choice he faced, and we recognized that he didn’t hesitate to choose the option of service. Aliens, monsters, and time travel aside, this film chose to say something important and found a way to do that without cheesy clichés and I respect that.
It is a testimony to the writers that they managed to introduce a deeply meaningful teachable moment into an otherwise slapstick film, but they succeeded.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Diary of a Preschool Teacher
From the shameless commerce division, I hereby promote my sister's book:
Diary of a Preschool Teacher by Lori Jean PhippsMiss Lori has been a pre-school teacher since the early 1990s and has owned her own pre-school for more than 13 years (yet I've still never forgiven her for dropping out of Berkeley simply because they didn't offer early childhood education classes, hurrumph!).
In this hilarious, non-fiction diatribe, Miss Lori reveals what peculiar daily happenings occur at her private preschool center. This daily journal does not only educate about the reality and unpredictability of teaching, but entertains in a way that makes it hard not to laugh.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
frish snow peace
Native American English speakers, wanna hear all about frish snow peace, a plastik snak, and shtella's brudder boob? Please take a few moments to judge the foreignness of some audio clips of people speaking a simple English sentence: American English accents.
Welcome to the English accent questionnaire. In this questionnaire we will ask you as a native U.S. English speaker to rate the pronunciation of different speakers, some of whom were born outside the U.S. We ask you to rate how native-like the pronunciations are. While we offer a set of 50 speech fragments, you are free to rate as few or as many as you'd like (of course we'd prefer more, but there is no required minimum). You may modify your answers, if you later (but before submitting your answers) feel you want to rate certain speakers differently than you initially decided. Also note you don't need to listen to the complete audio samples if you feel you are able to rate the nativeness of the speaker earlier. Please also answer the initial demographic questions.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Blizzard 2012!!!!!
Oh hell yeah, it's on. Blizzard Challenge 2012 ... I dare ya ... I double dog dare ya:
Blizzard Challenge 2012
We'll understand if you ain't got the stones, son. Ain't everyone cut out to face a challenge. The world needs ditch diggers too.
Blizzard Challenge 2012
We'll understand if you ain't got the stones, son. Ain't everyone cut out to face a challenge. The world needs ditch diggers too.
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