Resources - The Grammar Lab

1,000,000 Word Sample Corpora

Category : Corpora

Below are links to some corpora that I’ve put together using random sampling techniques. The idea is to take a...

AntConc Walk-Through

This is a walk-through to introduce to a couple of AntConc’s basic functions: word lists, keyword lists, and concordances. Bear...

Can We Quantify “Bad” Writing?

Category : Mini Experiments

In one of classes, my students were talking about the Sean Penn’s article in which he interviewed the Mexican drug...

Corpus of Presidential Speeches (CoPS) and a Clinton/Trump Corpus (Updated!)

Category : Corpora

In this election season, both linguistics and the popular press have shown an interest in candidates’ speaking styles — particularly...

Figuring out Your Research Topic

Category : Project Guides

This is, of course, difficult if you don’t have much of a background in the field. And it’s doubly tricky...

MICUSP for AntConc and WordSmith

Category : Corpora

The Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers is a collection of advanced undergraduate and and graduate student writing. The University...

Normalizing Word Counts

Category : Statistics

One of the things we often do in corpus linguistics is to compare one corpus (or one part of a...

Song Lyrics Data Tables

Category : Corpora

(Download links are below.) Recently, a student of mine who is interested in analyzing song lyrics pointed me to the...

Understanding Keyness

Category : Statistics

In order to identify significant differences between 2 corpora or 2 parts of a corpus, we often use a statistical...

What Data Do I Need?

Category : Project Guides

The type of data you will need to carry out a particular project will depend on a number of factors:...

Workshop: Introduction to Text Analysis with R

Category : Workshops

If you are planning on attending the workshop at Wake Forest University, follow the 11 steps under the “To do...

Writing Up Your Linguistics Project

Category : Project Guides

If you’re new to linguistics, committing your analysis to paper can be anxiety producing. What follows are some tips to...

Language Tweets

Jesse Sheidlower 4 hours ago

If a book contains the expression “fantastically vague semicolon” and you do not buy it for this reason alone, you are dead to me. @MaryNorrisTNY on @ceceliawatson newyorker.com/culture/comma-…

Ben Zimmer 6 hours ago

Don't expect a dictionary definition to convey the cultural impact and moral implications of the word "racism." My latest for @TheAtlantic, with many thanks to @mixedlinguist and @jessgrieser for their input. theatlantic.com/entertainment/…

Jesse Sheidlower 6 hours ago

A politician decides to overrule a distinguished poetry foundation to appoint a state poet laureate. What could go wrong? slate.com/culture/2019/0…

Language Log 7 hours ago

Ich bin ein Hongkonger: The genesis of this post lies in the following newspaper headline: "Ich Bin Ein Hong Konger: How Hong Kong is turning into the West Berlin of the quasi-cold war between the West and China", by Melinda Liu, Foreign Policy… dlvr.it/R8fjx8

test Twitter Media - Ich bin ein Hongkonger: The genesis of this post lies in the following newspaper headline: "Ich Bin Ein Hong Konger: How Hong Kong is turning into the West Berlin of the quasi-cold war between the West and China", by Melinda Liu, Foreign Policy… https://t.co/1RHHc1bQuP https://t.co/V3Q2Vflng5

Jesse Sheidlower 8 hours ago

Legal issues around the use of different names, or different transliterations, by people with foreign-language birth names sacbee.com/news/politics-…

Jesse Sheidlower 9 hours ago

What is a "mainstream language"? If there's a better illustration of why to read sources from outside of one's area of familiarity, I don't know what it is. (Source: business-standard.com/article/news-a… )

test Twitter Media - What is a "mainstream language"?

If there's a better illustration of why to read sources from outside of one's area of familiarity, I don't know what it is.

(Source: https://t.co/bM8DBsd6nd ) https://t.co/8Llg4IyaA3

Jesse Sheidlower 10 hours ago

Smart rave review of @GretchenAMcC's "Because Internet" (you've pre-ordered it already, haven't you?) from @katysteinmetz time.com/5629246/becaus…

Language Log 10 hours ago

Another day, another misnegation: Thomas Friedman, "'Trump's Going to Get Re-elected, Isn't He?'", NYT 7/16/2019 [emphasis added]: I'm struck at how many people have come up to me recently and said, "Trump's going to get re-elected, isn't he?" And in… dlvr.it/R8f6vP

test Twitter Media - Another day, another misnegation: Thomas Friedman, "'Trump's Going to Get Re-elected, Isn't He?'", NYT 7/16/2019 [emphasis added]: I'm struck at how many people have come up to me recently and said, "Trump's going to get re-elected, isn't he?" And in… https://t.co/ISu80Yeohc https://t.co/FSaBM92vva

Jesse Sheidlower 11 hours ago

Anyone who has ever had feelings of uncertainty, self-doubt, Imposter Syndrome, &c. (i.e., everyone) should follow this thread by the wonderful @rachsyme. twitter.com/rachsyme/statu…

I feel like 33-38 is a really tough age for a lot of women I know; feels like so many big decisions and future plans have to be squeezed into this lil window; just me?
— rachel syme (@rachsyme) July 17, 2019

The OED 18 hours ago

OED Word of the Day: fellifluous, adj. Flowing with bile; (figurative) bitter, rancorous oed.com/view/Entry/690…

Language Log 19 hours ago

German salty pig hand: Jeff DeMarco writes: "Saw this on Facebook. Google Translate gives 'German salty pig hand' which I presume refers to trotters. Not sure how they got sexual misconduct!" Dé shì xián zhū shǒu 德式咸猪手 lit. character by character… dlvr.it/R8cmCy

test Twitter Media - German salty pig hand: Jeff DeMarco writes: "Saw this on Facebook. Google Translate gives 'German salty pig hand' which I presume refers to trotters. Not sure how they got sexual misconduct!" Dé shì xián zhū shǒu 德式咸猪手 lit. character by character… https://t.co/cQLYBmsGGJ https://t.co/xlLI9jRlti

Ben Zimmer 1 day ago

The new @nprfreshair archive includes more than 400 segments of language commentary from @GeoffNunberg, going back to 1987! freshairarchive.org/search?keyword… twitter.com/nprfreshair/st…

This is big: For the first time, you can now search the entire Fresh Air archive -- over 40 years of interviews, 22,000 segments -- at https://t.co/Qr4hU3qph7.
Let us know what you think!
— Fresh Air (@nprfreshair) July 17, 2019

Language Log 1 day ago

Half == Partly: It's common to see half used to mean something much vaguer than "1/2" or "one of two equal parts", and as a result, things sometimes end up with three or more halves. A nice recent example (from Megan Twohey and Jacob Bernstein, "The… dlvr.it/R8ZdHL

The OED 2 days ago

Last month saw the addition of the first ever OED entries to show emoji in quotations taken from social media 🙌. Here, @dentjw looks at how, and why, emoji have finally made their OED debut: #WorldEmojiDay public.oed.com/blog/no-tears-…

The OED 2 days ago

OED Word of the Day: boody, v. To sulk or be sullen; to mope over something oed.com/view/Entry/214…

Language Log 2 days ago

Corpora and the Second Amendment: "the right (of the people) to … bear arms": An introduction and guide to this series of posts is available here. The corpus data can be downloaded here. Important: Use the "Download" button at the top right of the… dlvr.it/R8Xds0

Ben Zimmer 2 days ago

Nice to see @NealGoldfarb's quote about the legal use of corpus linguistics -- "like Lexis on steroids" (as reported in my 2011 piece for @TheAtlantic theatlantic.com/national/archi… ) -- is still getting some mileage. natlawreview.com/article/lexis-…

Ben Zimmer 2 days ago

Why is everything "X-adjacent" now? @Jonesieman investigates, with lexicographical input from @PeterSokolowski and me. nytimes.com/2019/07/16/sty…

Jesse Sheidlower 2 days ago

You don't know me, sign! In 1995 I was hiding in my room so that I didn't have to talk anyone. #TheNerdLife

Language Log 2 days ago

"Avoid characterizing it as anything but racism": Paul Farhi, "'Racist' tweets? News media grapple with how to label Trump's latest attacks", Washington Post 7/15/2019: When is it time to call a statement "racist," and when is it time to let others… dlvr.it/R8Wjhy