3.615 UK literary computing? idioms and fixed phrases? (73)

Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca)
Fri, 20 Oct 89 21:31:23 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 615. Friday, 20 Oct 1989.


(1) Date: 20 Oct 89 12:33:28 bst (22 lines)
From: D.Mealand@EDINBURGH.AC.UK
Subject: UK Literary Computing 89

(2) Date: Fri, 20 Oct 89 12:57 EST (31 lines)
From: <MDHARRIS@GUVAX>
Subject: Query: idioms and fixed phrases

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 20 Oct 89 12:33:28 bst
From: D.Mealand@EDINBURGH.AC.UK
Subject: UK Literary Computing 89

I have been asked to write a report on recent developments in the UK
of literary and linguistic computing. I propose to consider both
software and also published research using computers. I ask readers
of this bb in other countries to bear with me if I appeal to UK
participants to send me (direct) a very brief note of what they think
to be the three most significant developments in the UK in the last
12 months.

As we are a global village, other readers of this bb may wish to
send equivalent info to their local ALLC rep who will be listed in the
pages of ALLC, but this comment does not originate from them it
is merely an attempt by me to compensate for doing insular business
on a planet-wide bb.

David M.

D.Mealand@uk.ac.edinburgh
for users of JANET
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------37----
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 89 12:57 EST
From: <MDHARRIS@GUVAX>
Subject: Query: idioms and fixed phrases


I am making this inquiry on behalf of a Computational Linguist, Judith
Markowitz, who is working with Martha Evens on a lexical database. To quote
her letter,
"The purpose of this letter is to ask you if you know of any humanists
who have looked at idioms and/or other types of fixed phrases, like greetings
and discourse control expression. Martha and I are trying to make some
decisions about how our lexical database will handle a broad spectrum of ex-
pressions in a systematic way. We are familiar with the work of some lexico-
graphers, like Cowie, and that of computer scientists, like Amsler, but there
are no doubt many other types of scholars whose work would help us. Some of
the issues we are examining are:
typologies of phrases
phrasal lexicons (lexica?)
syntactic and/or semantic analyses of groups of phrases
metaphoric and non-metaphoric usage.
In short, any attempt to systematize as well as long lists of examples. Any
suggestions you might have would be appreciated."

Please send any information or references on this important subject to me:

Mary Dee Harris
mdharris@guvax.bitnet
mdharris@guvax.georgetown.edu

I will forward everything to Judith. Thanks.