LINGUIST List 17.155

Tue Jan 17 2006

Qs: Occurrence of Phonemes in Texts; AAVE Corpora

Editor for this issue: Jessica Boynton <jessicalinguistlist.org>


Directory         1.    Yuri Tambovtsev, Occurrence of Phonemes in Texts of World Languages
        2.    Erica Greenberg, African American Vernacular English Corpora


Message 1: Occurrence of Phonemes in Texts of World Languages
Date: 16-Jan-2006
From: Yuri Tambovtsev <yutambmail.ru>
Subject: Occurrence of Phonemes in Texts of World Languages


Dear LinguistList colleagues,

I compute the frequency of occurrence of phonemes in world languages. The frequency of occurrence is computed on the material of texts and dictionaries. I feed a text in my computer and then I compute how many times this or that sound occurs. I have computed some Finno-Ugric, Turkic, Paleo-Asiatic, Australian aboriginal, Polinesian, etc.languages. Also some American Indian languages: Totonac, Nahuatl, Sayula populuca, Pocomchi, Capanahua, and 20 more American Indian languages. What American Indian or any other language do you study? Were the frequencies of its phonemes in texts computed? Could we compute some of the texts in your language? I can do it if you send me a text on paper or in the electronic form, but as a simple -txt or -doc file.

After that it is interesting to compare, for instance, the occurrence of labial consonants in Totonac (7.38%) and Pocomchi (10.83%). Or Nahuatl (11.73%) and Sayula populuca (12.34%). Or Guarani (12.92%) and Sweet Grass Cree (15.15%).Etc, etc. The values can also show the typology and the closeness. If you know some linguist who may be interested in co-operating with me on the problem, then please, forward my message to this scholar with my new correct address yutambmail.ru

Yours sincerely Yuri Tambovtsev, Novosibirsk Pedagog.

University, Novosibirsk, Russia

Linguistic Field(s): Phonetics Text/Corpus Linguistics
Message 2: African American Vernacular English Corpora
Date: 16-Jan-2006
From: Erica Greenberg <erica.greenbergyale.edu>
Subject: African American Vernacular English Corpora



Dear Linguists,

After searching futilely for transcribed AAVE child-directed speech data over the past few months, I am now looking for any publicly-available corpus of AAVE. I am happy to talk further with those who can recommned or possess such data and might be willing to share.

Thanks very much, Erica Greenberg

Linguistic Field(s): Language Description Text/Corpus Linguistics