LINGUIST List 9.164

Wed Feb 4 1998

FYI: Nameserver, ELRA, Gender across language

Editor for this issue: Brett Churchill <brettlinguistlist.org>

Directory

  • Norval Smith, Linguists' Nameserver
  • Valerie Mapelli, ELRA - VALIDATION MANUALS
  • Hadumod Bussmann, Gender across languages

    Message 1: Linguists' Nameserver

     Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 09:57:07 +0100
    From: Norval Smith <Norval.Smithlet.uva.nl>
    Subject: Linguists' Nameserver


    Dear Fellow Linguists,

    I have decided to phase out the Linguists' Nameserver which I have run from here for the last I don't know how many years for a number of reasons:

    a) Linguist with its register of linguists will more than take over the minimal function performed by the nameserver

    b) There are new methods of findind out e-mail addresses - the LSA members' list prints them for instance.

    c) The WorldWideWeb offers several ways of finding addresses: the various search engines, the various University Web Pages, and so on.

    d) Less use was being made of this resource.

    e) Basically I don't have the time to maintain it properly any more. The problem that existed at the beginning of the nineties, that hardly anyone knew what anyone else's e-mail address was does not exist any more.

    For the time being it will still be possible to consult the Nameserver at linguisthum.uva.nl or linguistshum.uva.nl (NB New Address!!) but there is already a considerable amount of "noise" in the database and this will rapidly increase, limiting the reliability of whatever results one gets.

    Norval Smith

    Message 2: ELRA - VALIDATION MANUALS

     Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 15:01:37 +0100 (MET)
    From: Valerie Mapelli <info-elracalva.net>
    Subject: ELRA - VALIDATION MANUALS


    EUROPEAN LANGUAGE RESOURCES ASSOCIATION ELRA News

    *** SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ELRA - LANGUAGE RESOURCES VALIDATION MANUALS ***

    ELRA is happy to announce that the manuals for lexica and written corpora can now be obtained free of charge from the ELRA secretariat or the ELRA Web site.

    VALIDATION MANUAL FOR LEXICA: The final version of the validation manual for lexica was produced and delivered in June of 1997 from CST, Center for Sprogteknologi, Denmark. The work on the lexicon manuals involved technical validation and conformity with standards (both the producer's own and ELRA's). This resulted in content validation and the drafting of the chapters of the ELRA validation manual, the ELRA standard and the validation methodology (including validation schemata).

    VALIDATION MANUAL FOR WRITTEN CORPORA: The work on a manual for written corpora subcontracted to the Humanities Computing Unit, Oxford University, UK and they have during 1997 produced a draft for the manual, which has been made public and open for comments and feedback. The final version is planned to be ready in the beginning of 1998. The work was initiated with a first phase which consisted of consulting several experts in order to get a consensus about the real needs. This produced a first document entitled "The Definition of a Functional Specification for the Technical Validation of Language Corpora". Also a questionnaire was published on the ELRA and University of Lancaster Web sites, this to inquire for feedback from interested parties. The draft document covers the approaches for the establishment of an analytic framework for validation (technical and descriptive characteristics, linguistic properties), and the definition of appropriate validation procedures.

    The manuals are:

    \183 Lexicon validation: "Towards a standard for the evaluation of lexica", N Underwood & C Navaretta. "A draft manual for the validation of lexica - Final report", N Underwood & C Navaretta. \183 Corpora validation: "An analytic framework for the validation of language corpora", P Baker, L Burnard, A McEnery & A Wilson.

    To obtain copies, please contact ELRA at the following address:

    ELRA 55-57, rue Brillat Savarin 75013 Paris, France tel. +33 1 43 13 33 33 fax. +33 1 43 13 33 30 email. elra-eldacalva.net (Ms Malin Nilsson)

    or download them from the ELRA Web site: http://www.icp.grenet.fr/ELRA/home.html

    Message 3: Gender across languages

     Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 11:28:04 +0000
    From: Hadumod Bussmann <Hadumod.Bussmannlrz.uni-muenchen.de>
    Subject: Gender across languages


    Marlis Hellinger/Hadumod Bussmann (eds) GENDER ACROSS LANGUAGES The de/construction of gender roles through language variation and change. - ------------------------------------------------------------------- In November 1997 we have announced this project for the first time and have asked for potential authors. So far we have final acceptances for 22 languages, but we are still looking for contributions on CHINESE, HEBREW, HUNGARIAN, INDONESIAN, RUMANIAN and VIETNAMESE. In "Gender across languges" we are concerned with the structural properties of a language (categories of gener, word-formation, pronominalization) and speakers' linguistic choicers in talking about or as women and men. We are aoso interested in learning about tendencies of variation and change (including, where applicable, language politics/guideline) as these reflect changes in the relationships between the sexes. Who might be able to contribute on these languages or knows somebody who would be interested in the project? For more information, please contact us at one of the following adresses:

    Dr. Hadumod Bussmann email: Hadumod.Bussmannlrz.uni-muenchen.de Fax: 49-8178-3410

    Prof. Dr. Marlis Hellinger email: Hellingerem.uni-frankfurt.de Fax: 49-511-668874

    Dr. Hadumod Bussmann Anwaenden 3 D 82067 Ebenhausen/Isartal Tel: 08178-4483 Fax: 08178-3410