• Computer-Assisted Language Comparison: State of the Art

    Author(s):
    Timotheus A. Bodt, Nathan W. Hill, Johann-Mattis List, Nathanael E. Schweikhard, Mei-Shin Wu (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Subject(s):
    Computational linguistics, Digital humanities, Historical linguistics, Language and languages, Southeast Asia
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    computer-assisted language comparison, Hmong-Mien language family, Tutorial, workflow, Southeast Asian languages
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/ab09-rj24
    Abstract:
    Historical language comparison opens windows onto a human past, long before the availability of written records. Since traditional language comparison within the framework of the comparative method is largely based on manual data comparison, requiring the meticulous sifting through dictionaries, word lists, and grammars, the framework is difficult to apply, especially in times where more and more data have become available in digital form. Unfortunately, it is not possible to simply automate the process of historical language comparison, not only because computational solutions lag behind human judgments in historical linguistics, but also because they lack the flexibility that would allow them to integrate various types of information from various kinds of sources. A more promising approach is to integrate computational and classical approaches within a computer-assisted framework, “neither completely computer-driven nor ignorant of the assistance computers afford” [1, p. 4]. In this paper, we will illustrate what we consider the current state of the art of computer-assisted language comparison by presenting a workflow that starts with raw data and leads up to a stage where sound correspondence patterns across multiple languages have been identified and can be readily presented, inspected, and discussed. We illustrate this workflow with the help of a newly prepared dataset on Hmong-Mien languages. Our illustration is accompanied by Python code and instructions on how to use additional web-based tools we developed so that users can apply our workflow for their own purposes.
    Notes:
    This manuscript has been accepted for publication with the Journal of Open Humanities Data. When using the processed data or the code to process data in your research, please cite this study as: Wu, M.-S.; Schweikhard, N. E.; Bodt, T. A.; Hill, N. W. & List, J.-M. (forthcoming): "Computer-Assisted Language Comparison. State of the Art. Journal of Open Humanities Data.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. Date:
    2020
    Journal:
    Journal of Open Humanities Data
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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