Rosamund Moon

Words, frequencies, and texts (particularly Conrad): A stratified approach

Abstract This paper describes a corpus methodology developed in the course of investigations of three small subcorpora of texts: fiction by Conrad, nineteenth-century accounts of exploration, and adventure fiction. Stemming from observations that both high and lower frequency words in text are of interest in relation to meaning and structure, a ‘stratified approach’ integrates different levels of frequency by grouping words in a text into a series of frequency bands, identified from a reference corpus, then examining the most recurrent words within each band. This approach shows up, in particular, the ways in which topic and theme are lexicalized, and connotative lexis is associated with lower frequencies. In addition to exemplifying the approach and demonstrating its applications, the paper argues that any set of words, identified as significant through frequency, still involves selection, and that information which is derived quantitatively should not be interpreted as if wholly objective.

Lexicography and linguistic creativity

Abstract: Conventionally, dictionaries present information about institutionalized words,phrases, and senses of words; more creative formations and usages are generally ignored. Yet textand corpus data provide ample evidence of creativity in language, showing that it is part of ordinarylinguistic behaviour and indeed often systematic.This article looks at four specific types of lexical creativity in English: figurative meaning,word formation, idioms, and spelling. Focusing on selected examples, it discusses corpus evidenceand then treatment in (principally) three recent monolingual dictionaries for learners of English. Itargues that, even taking into account the pedagogical function and limited scope of these dictionaries,more could be said about creative aspects of lexis, and the systematicity of creative usage.This would be of benefit and interest to dictionary users, and empower them. Keywords: AFFIXATION, CORPUS, CREATIVITY, DICTIONARY COVERAGE, ENGLISH,FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE, IDIOMS, LEXICOGRAPHY, NEOLOGISM, NORMATIVENESS,SPELLING, WORD FORMATION Opsomming: Leksikografie en taalkreatiwiteit. Normaalweg verskaf woordeboekeinligting oor geinstitutionaliseerde woorde, frases en betekenisse van woorde; meer kreatiewe vormingeen gebruike word gewoonlik geignoreer. Tog bied teks- en korpusgegewens volop bewysevan kreatiwiteit in taal, wat toon dat dit deel van gewone taalkundige gedrag is en inderdaaddikwels sistematies.Hierdie artikel beskou vier spesifieke soorte leksikale kreatiwiteit in Engels: figuurlike betekenis,woordvorming, idiome, en spelling. Deur op uitgesoekte voorbeelde te fokus, bespreek ditkorpusbewyse en daarna behandeling in (hoofsaaklik) drie resente eentalige woordeboeke viraanleerders van Engels. Dit voer aan dat, selfs al word die opvoedkundige funksie en beperkteomvang van hierdie woordeboeke in ag geneem, meer gese sou kon word oor die kreatieweaspekte van leksis, en die sistematisiteit van kreatiewe gebruik. Dit sal tot voordeel en belang vanwoordeboekgebruikers wees, en hulle bemagtig. Sleutelwoorde: AFFIGERING, KORPUS, KREATIWITEIT, WOORDEBOEKDEKKING,ENGELS, FIGUURLIKE TAAL, IDIOME, LEKSIKOGRAFIE, NEOLOGISME, NORMATIWITEIT,SPELLING, WOORDVORMING

Simile and dissimilarity

Abstract Simile is generally explained as an explicit comparison between two things, which presupposes they have features or qualities in common – but equally, there must be essential differences too. This paper pursues these differences, and explores ideas of dissimilarity in simile, here considered as a separate device from metaphor. It then looks at implications for text analysis, in particular the role of simile in articulating the experience of the unknown and the new in narrations of travel. Drawing on texts by three 19th-century explorers (Livingstone, Stanley, Kingsley) and contrasting them with fiction (Conrad), I argue that the dissimilarities within similes reveal much, particularly with respect to ideological meanings on the one hand, and the expression of certainty and uncertainty on the other.