Kieran O

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Corpus-assisted literary evaluation

• Kieran OHalloran

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(No Transcript)
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Roger Fowler (1996 201-204) dynamic and
disturbing
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Aim

• to use corpus-based analysis to shore up
  (initial) literary evaluation
• i.e, to explore whether we can produce a
  well-grounded hypothesis that poem is dynamic
  and disturbing for readers more generally.

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Formulaic sequence

• Relationship (indirect) with cognition.
• Cognitive reality holistic language processing
  (Underwood, Schmitt and Galpin, 2004 Wray,
  2002).
• But stored in holistic way? (see Schmitt,
  Grandage and Adolphs, 2004).

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Schema theory

• Cook, 1994 Schank and Abelson, 1977
• Schema stereotypical knowledge
• S(W) World Scripts, Plans, Goals, (Themes)
• S(T) Text
• S(L) Language

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Formulaic sequences and schemata

• Principles
• Large corpus provides evidence of prototypical
  formulaic sequences, i.e., evidence for S(L) -
  not S(W).
• typical S(L) associated with S(W).
• Large corpus provides evidence of
  non-prototypical formulaic sequences / of
  deviation.

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Jakobsonian stylistics approach

• The Jakobsonian principle of equivalence should
• lead the experienced reader of poetry to link
• together the series of words and their meanings
• waiting, hiding, loitering, feeling,
  fingering,
• sidling, stalking, raring to go.
• The poem is unified by this series
• Fowler (1996 203)

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Semantic criteria

• Place (street etc)
• n1 since typical place for locative-functional
  prepositions
• Intention to act in a place
• Relating to male body

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Corpus investigation of ing formsA Place and
intention to act (n 1)

• a) waiting (v1, l2) 49,852 Bank of English
• for 19,149 t 135.2 to
  7,748 t 73.8
• in 1,834 t 21.7
• Phraseological deviation someone is waiting, I
  dont know where

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Corpus investigation of ing formsA Place and
intention to act (n 1)

• b) hiding (v1, l3) 9,461
• in (3,575 t 36.8) behind (702 t
  25.8)
• among (58 t 5)
• Hiding among is non-prototypical collocation

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Corpus investigation of ing formsA Place and
intention to act (n 1)

• c) loitering (v2, l2) 361
• in (72 t-score 7.6) highest t-score
  for n1
• all instances in relate to place
• loitering in the dark not deviant.
• It is S(L) / prototypical formulaic sequence.

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c) loitering continued

• Fowler (1996 203) loitering is uniaccentual
  from the register of police observation. A
  person can only loiter with bad intent.
• Around 60 express (bad) intention 40 do not.
  
• e.g. Should you be loitering around Hyde Park
  Corner over the next three weeks, pop into Pizza
  on the Park for a comical crash course in the
  lost art of cabaret.
• S(L) loitering sometimes associated with
  intention to act (sometimes negatively) and
  sometimes not.

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Corpus investigation of ing formsA Place and
intention to act (n 1)
d) sidling (v3, l1) 89 SIDLE 434
up (42 t 6.4).
(211 t 14.5) along (6 t 2.4). (12 t
3.4) Up most common collocate Sidle up to
someone is prototypical. Sidle along somewhere
is non-prototypical collocation.
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Corpus investigation of ing formsA Place and
intention to act (n 1)

• e) Stalking (v3, l3) 1,788
• stalking place approx. 10 at n1/2
• stalking human (female) approx 80 (her 63,
  t 7.4)
• e.g. a psychopathic serial killer stalking a
  woman.
• stalking place is non-prototypical collocation

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Corpus investigation of ing formsA Place and
intention to act (n 1)

• f) raring to go (v4, l2) 445 raring
  520
• No instances of unless
• 1 locative functional preposition at St James
  Park.

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f) raring to go continued

• collocation of raring to go with unless in
  verse 4 is deviant
• In Belle Grove Terrace is non-prototypical

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Corpus investigation of ing forms B Male body
(4-n4)
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Interpretation1 phraseology vs S(W)

• someone is waiting, I dont know where (why)
  (v1, l2).
• Lack of intention cf S(W) PLANS and GOALS
• Someone is loitering (v2, l2)
• may or may not be associated with intention
• cf S(W) PLANS and GOALS

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Interpretation1. phraseology vs S(W) continued

• fingering (Vs 2, ln 4) semantic prosody of
  light touching
• cf S(W) SCRIPT

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Interpretation2 Equivalences (corpus-based)

• a) Non-prototypical collocation
• hiding among (v1, l3)
• sidling along (v3, l1)
• stalking a place (v3, l3)

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Interpretation2 Equivalences (corpus-based)

• b) Gender
• feeling (v2, l3)
• fingering (v2, l4)
• not S(L)

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Interpretation2 Equivalences (corpus-based)

• c) Phraseological fragment
• Someone is waiting (v1, l2)
• Raring to go (v4, l2)

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Interpretation3 NON-equivalences
(corpus-based)

• Phraseological
• someone is waiting (v1, l2) deviant
• someone is loitering (v2, l2) non-deviant
• someone is waiting (v1, l2) no (infinitive of)
  purpose
• sidling..to stop (v3, l1)
• stalkingto see (v3, l3)

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Interpretation3 NON-equivalences
(corpus-based)

• Phraseological continued
• Pink Lane, Strawberry Lane, Pudding Chare /
  someone is
• waiting I dont know where (v1, ls 1-2)
• Monk Street, Friars Street, Gallowgate / are
  better avoided
• when its late (v5, ls 1-2)
• Absence of locative-functional preposition with
  waiting.

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Interpretation3 NON-equivalences
(corpus-based)

• a) Phraseological continued
• In Leazes Terrace or Leazes Park / someone is
  loitering in
• the dark (v2, ls 1-2)
• In Belle Grove Terrace or Fountain Row / or
  Hunters Road
• hes raring to go (v4, ls 1-2)
• loitering collocates typically with
  locative-functional
• prepositions not case for raring to go.

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Interpretation3 NON-equivalences
(corpus-based)

• b) Intention to act
• HUMAN SUBJECT (is) waiting (v1, l2) NO
• He wants to play peculiar games (v1, l4)
  YES
• HUMAN SUBJECT (is) loitering (v2, l2)
• YES and NO

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Conclusion

• While on Jakobsonian account there is unity,
  there is
• evidence to ground hypothesis that disunity in
• reading would be reasonably common, because of
• tensions between S(W) likely to be activated in
  reading and non-prototypical / deviant formulaic
  sequences in which -ing forms occur
• existence of different patterns of equivalence
  and NON-equivalence for ing forms.
• Disunity in reading dynamic and disturbing
  effects.