Unit 8 Text analysis

Actually attested language

we treat the text simply as a collection of linguistic elements. But texts are normally only produced if there is an intention to communicate a message of some kind and the other three kinds of judgement have to do with this normal communicative functioning of text.

Thus we can say how far a particular text is feasible, that is to say, how easy it is to process, and this will depend on how it keys in with shared knowledge.

How far it is appropriate will also , crucially, depend on how the text can be related to context to bring about reference, force, and effect.

We have already looked at ways in which the feasibility and appropriateness factors may affect selection. 

Norms of usage

Corpus---A collection, often on a very large scale, of actually occurring textual data, electronically stored and analysable by computer program.

 We therefore have a norm of usage against which we can establish the relative (ab)normality of the occurrence of a word or structure in a particular text. 

Corpus analysis can tell us not only about the overall frequency of words, but also about their range, that is to say their distribution in different domains use.

Henry Green