LINGUIST List 11.2604

Fri Dec 1 2000

Sum: JPNS Frequency

Editor for this issue: Marie Klopfenstein <marielinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Tim Mills, JPNS frequency

Hello, fellow linguists!

As promised, here is a summary of the responses I received to my query for
information on Japanese kanji, kana, and word frequency.

- --
My original query:

I seek the following data. All frequencies are, ideally, counts from a
corpus of informal written correspondence.

1.	Frequency of individual kanji characters.
2.	Frequency of individual kana characters (hiragana & katakana).
3.	Frequency of words. (Preferably roots, with cross-referenced affix
frequencies)

If anyone has or knows of research involving any of the above data, please
contact me off the list at "tmillszicorp.com".
- --

The responses:

- --
>From Edson Miyamoto [etmis.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp]:

there's a database that has just come out recently. Take a look at:

http://www.sanseido-publ.co.jp/publ/NTT_english.html

- --
>From Heidi Frank [h-frank2nwu.edu]:

I recently completed my masters thesis on character counts in Japanese
lesbian and Japanese housewife letters to and from the editor of their
respective periodicals. I counted a total of 8,400 characters from each
group. Is this the kind of data that you are looking for? Is it
informal enough? I counted Kanji, hiragana, katakana, romaji, and
various symbols. Let me know if this would help you out.

- --
>From Atsuko Hayashi [mailto:hayashiOREGON.UOREGON.EDU],
	through Scott McGinnis [smcginnisnflc.org]

Hayashisan sent a file with kanji frequency counts. Unfortunately, I was
unable to open the file and so cannot comment on the contents. But thankyou
for the effort, and thankyou Mr. McGinnis for forwarding the information.

- --
>From Mike Roberts [mailto:robertsmwaikato.ac.nz],
	also through Scott McGinnis [smcginnisnflc.org]

This study is quite old now and I understand that the book is out of 
print; but you may be able to access it through the Kokuritsu Kokugo 
Kenkyuujo.

It's called

Gendai Zasshi Kyuujuushu Yoogo Yooji Hindosuu

- --

Thanks to all who responded, and especially to Scott McGinnis for relaying
the message to the Japanese SLA listserve and passing the replies on to me.

If anyone has further information pertaining to this query, please contact
me off the list at "tmillszicorp.com". Anyone wishing further information
regarding any of these responses may contact me.

Sincerely,

	- Tim Mills -
	Zi Corporation

- --------------------------------------------

Tim Mills, Computational Linguist
Zi Corporation
Suite 300, 500 - 4 Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta
Canada T2P 2V6

Main: (403) 233.8875
Direct: (403) 231.4591
Fax: (403) 231.4595
E-mail: tmillszicorp.com
Website: www.zicorp.com