A multi-dimensional analysis of register variation in Brazilian Portuguese

Corpora ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Berber Sardinha ◽  
Carlos Kauffmann ◽  
Cristina Mayer Acunzo
Keyword(s):  
Dimensional Analysis ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Linguistic Community ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Six Dimensions ◽  
Dimensions Of Variation

In this paper, we present a Multi-Dimensional analysis of Brazilian Portuguese, based on a large, diverse corpus comprising forty-eight different spoken and written registers. Previous research in MD analysis includes multi-register investigations of a range of languages, including English, Spanish, Somali and Korean, among others. At the same time, a large body of literature on text varieties in Brazilian Portuguese exists, but previous research focusses on specific aspects of one, or at the most, a few varieties at a time and, therefore, does not present a comprehensive picture of register use in the linguistic community of Brazilian Portuguese speakers. In this study, we attempt to fill this gap by employing the MD framework, enabling researchers to account for a large number of different registers, based on a wide repertory of linguistic features. The analysis revealed six dimensions of variation, which are presented, illustrated and discussed here.

Text types in Brazilian Portuguese: a multidimensional perspective

Corpora ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Berber Sardinha
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
Language Variety ◽  
Text Types ◽  
Six Dimensions ◽  
Dimensions Of Variation

This paper presents a new typology of texts for Brazilian Portuguese, based on a thorough description of the linguistic characteristics of 960 texts in a 5.6 million-word corpus ( Berber Sardinha et al., 2014 ). The typology follows the Multi-dimensional framework proposed by Biber (1989) , which defines text types as linguistic constructs derived from dimensions of variation, or co-occurring sets of linguistic characteristics that underlie register variation in a particular language or language variety. The text types were identified following a cluster analysis that took as input the dimension scores for each text on each of the six dimensions of variation. The clusters were interpreted as nine text types, each representing a typical textual configuration found in Brazilian Portuguese.

scholarly journals Multi-Dimensional Analysis, text constellations, and interdisciplinary discourse

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Thompson ◽  
Susan Hunston ◽  
Akira Murakami ◽  
Dominik Vajn
Keyword(s):  
Dimensional Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Interdisciplinary Journal ◽  
Dimensions Of Variation

Abstract Multi-Dimensional Analysis (MDA) has been widely used to explore register variation. This paper reports on a project using MDA to explore the features of an interdisciplinary academic domain. Six dimensions of variation are identified in a corpus of 11,000 journal articles in environmental studies. We then focus on articles in one interdisciplinary journal, Global Environmental Change (GEC). It is expected that these articles will diverge sufficiently to produce differences that are analogous to register differences. Instead of identifying these “registers” on external criteria, we use the dimensional profiles of individual texts to identify ‘constellations’ of texts sharing combinations of features. Six such constellations are derived, consisting of texts with commonalities in their approaches to research: the development of predictive models; quantitative research; discussions of theory and policy; and human-environment studies focusing on individual voices. The identification of these constellations could not have been achieved through an a priori categorisation of texts.

Dimensions of register variation in Somali

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Biber ◽  
Mohamed Hared
Keyword(s):  
Public Information ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
Personal Involvement ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mode Characteristics ◽  
General Topic ◽  
Dimensions Of Variation

ABSTRACTThe present study uses a multidimensional approach to analyze the linguistic characteristics of Somali spoken and written registers. Somali is unusual in that it has a very short history of literacy (only since 1973), but at present it has a wide range of written and spoken registers, including governmental, educational, and public information uses. It thus represents a very different language type from previously described languages. We analyze the distribution of 65 linguistic features across 279 texts from 26 spoken and written registers, using factor analysis to identify five major dimensions of variation. None of these dimensions defines an absolute dichotomy between spoken and written registers, although three of the dimensions can be considered “oral/literate” parameters. As in the multidimensional analyses of other languages, the present study shows that no single dimension adequately describes the relations among spoken and written registers; rather, each dimension reflects a different set of communicative functions relating to the purpose, general topic, degree of interactiveness, personal involvement, production circumstances, and other physical mode characteristics. In the conclusion, we briefly discuss our findings relative to previous multidimensional analyses of English, Tuvaluan, and Korean, laying the foundation for cross-linguistic analyses of universal tendencies of register variation.

Spoken and written register variation in Spanish: A multi-dimensional analysis

Corpora ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Biber ◽  
Mark Davies ◽  
James K. Jones ◽  
Nicole Tracy-Ventura
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Large Set ◽  
European Language ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
International Language ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dimensions Of Variation

There have been few comprehensive analyses of register variation conducted in a European language other than English. Spanish provides an ideal test case for such a study: Spanish is a major international language with a long social history of literacy, and it is a Romance language, with interesting linguistic similarities to, and differences from, English. The present study uses Multi-Dimensional (MD) analysis to investigate the distribution of a large set of linguistic features in a wide range of spoken and written registers: 146 linguistic features in a twenty-million words corpus taken from nineteen spoken and written registers. Six primary dimensions of variation are identified and interpreted in linguistic and functional terms. Some of these dimensions are specialised, without obvious counterparts in the MD analyses of other languages (e.g., a dimension related to discourse with a counterfactual focus). However, other Spanish dimensions correspond closely to dimensions identified for other languages, reflecting functional considerations such as interactiveness, personal stance, informational density, argumentation, and a narrative focus.

Style in nineteenth century fiction

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Egbert
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Dimensional Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Stylistic Variation ◽  
Literary Style ◽  
Concrete Action ◽  
Corpus Stylistics ◽  
Dimensions Of Variation

Recent years have seen substantial advances in ‘corpus stylistics’, which is the use of corpora and computational techniques to study literary style. Corpus stylistics has produced analyses of otherwise imperceptible features of literary style. However, studies in corpus stylistics have rarely considered the full set of core linguistic features. The present study explores literary style through the application of Multi-Dimensional analysis. Stylistic variation along three dimensions is accounted for using a large, principled corpus of fiction. The dimensions of variation are interpreted as ‘Thought Presentation versus Description’, ‘Abstract Exposition versus Concrete Action’, and ‘Dialogue versus Narrative’. These three dimensions are then used to compare the styles of nineteenth-century fiction between authors, and the range of stylistic variation among the novels of individual authors. The findings are interpreted qualitatively and with reference to previous analyses of author style.

scholarly journals The Cultural and Diagnostic Appropriateness of Standardized Assessments for Dual Language Learners: A Focus on Jamaican Preschoolers

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Rachel Wright Karem ◽  
Karla N. Washington
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Linguistic Community ◽  
Standardized Assessments ◽  
Standardized Assessment ◽  
Dual Language Learners ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Word Structure

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the appropriateness of standardized assessments of expressive grammar and vocabulary in a sample of preschool-age dual language learners (DLLs) who use Jamaican Creole (JC) and English. Adult models from the same linguistic community as these children were used to inform culturally and linguistically appropriate interpretation of children's responses to a standardized assessment. Method JC-English–speaking preschoolers ( n = 176) and adults ( n = 33) completed the Word Structure and Expressive Vocabulary subtests of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool–Second Edition. Adults' responses were used to develop an adapted scoring procedure that considered the influence of JC linguistic features on responses. DLLs' responses scored using the standard English and adapted JC procedures were compared. Results JC–English DLLs and adults used similar linguistic structures in response to subtest questions. DLLs' scores differed significantly from the standardized sample on both subtests. Preschoolers received higher raw and corresponding standard scores with adapted scoring compared to standard scoring. Adapted scoring that made use of adult models yielded high classification accuracy at a rate of 93.8% for Word Structure and 92.1% for Expressive Vocabulary. Conclusions Adapting standardized assessment scoring procedures using adult models may offer an ecologically valid approach to working with DLL preschoolers that can support a more accurate assessment of language functioning. These findings suggest that the use of standardized assessments for bilingual JC–English speakers requires a culturally responsive approach. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14403026

scholarly journals Register and Register Variation

Linguistics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
Functional Perspective ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
Situational Characteristics ◽  
Register Studies ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Key Resources ◽  
Linguistic Approach

Register research has been approached from differing theoretical and methodological approaches, resulting in different definitions of the term register. In the text-linguistic approach, which is the primary focus of this bibliography, register refers to text varieties that are defined by their situational characteristics, such as the purpose of writing and the mode of communication, among others. Texts that are similar in their situational characteristics also tend to share similar linguistic profiles, as situational characteristics motivate or require the use of specific linguistic features. Text-linguistic research on register tends to focus on two aspects: attempts to describe a register, or attempts to understand patterns of register variation. This research happens via comparative analyses, specific examinations of single linguistic features or situational parameters, and often via examinations of co-occurrence of linguistic features that are analyzed from a functional perspective. That is, certain lexico-grammatical features co-occur in a given text because they together serve important communicative functions that are motivated by the situational characteristics of the text (e.g., communicative purpose, mode, setting, interactivity). Furthermore, corpus methods are often relied upon in register studies, which allows for large-scale examinations of both general and specialized registers. Thus, the bibliography gives priority to research that uses corpus tools and methods. Finally, while the broadest examinations on register focus on the distinction between written and spoken domains, additional divisions of register studies fall under the categories of written registers, spoken registers, academic registers, historical registers, and electronic/online registers. This bibliography primarily introduces some of the key resources on English registers, a decision that was made to reach a broader audience.

Diachronic register change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Collins ◽  
Minna Korhonen ◽  
Haidee Kotze ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
Xinyue Yao
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
21St Century ◽  
American English ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
Diachronic Change ◽  
Six Dimensions ◽  
Over Time

Abstract A number of studies have found that grammatical differences across registers are more extensive than those across dialects. However, there is a paucity of research examining intervarietal register change, exploring how registers change differently over time in different regional varieties. The present study addresses this diachronic deficit, focusing on grammatical developments – from the early 20th to the early 21st century – in corpora representing three written registers and two speech-based registers in Australian, British and American English. We conducted a factor analysis on 68 lexicogrammatical features to identify six dimensions of register variation, and subsequently investigated the diachronic change of the five registers across these dimensions. We interpret our findings in terms of the differential effects of broad social changes on individual registers, in light of existing findings on trends of change in different registers and varieties.

Transfer at the initial stages of L3 Brazilian Portuguese: A look at three groups of English/Spanish bilinguals

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID GIANCASPRO ◽  
BECKY HALLORAN ◽  
MICHAEL IVERSON
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Heritage Speaker ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
Object Marking ◽  
L1 English ◽  
Spanish Bilinguals

This study examines three formal linguistic acquisition models of third language (L3) acquisition in the context of Brazilian Portuguese (BP), specifically examining Differential Object Marking (DOM). The main goal is to determine which of the models is best able to predict and explain syntactic transfer in three experimental groups: mirror-image groups of first/second language (L1/L2) English/Spanish bilinguals (i) L1 English/L2 Spanish and (ii) L1 Spanish/L2 English, and (iii) heritage Spanish/English bilinguals. The data provide evidence to support the Typological Primacy Model (Rothman, 2010, 2011, 2013), which predicts Spanish transfer irrespective of its status as an L1, L2 or bilingual first language (2L1). Additionally, the heritage speaker and L1 English group results, taken together, provide evidence for Iverson's (2009) claim that comparing such populations adds independent supportive evidence that the acquisition of linguistic features or properties in an L2 acquired past puberty is not subject to a maturational critical period.

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