刊讯｜SSCI 期刊《计量语言学》2023年第3-4期

JOURNAL OF QUANTITATIVE LINGUISTICS

Volume 30, Issue 3-4, June 2023

JOURNAL OF QUANTITATIVE LINGUISTICS（SSCI二区，2022 IF：1.4，排名：87/194）2023年第3-4期共发文6篇，其中研究性论文5篇，书评1篇。研究论文涉及汉语词的结构复杂性与词频的关系，词汇特征和心理状态、词汇复杂性的结构性因素分析、汉语词长、协同语言学等。欢迎转发扩散！（2023年已更完）

往期推荐：

目录

ARTICLES

■The Structural Complexity of Chinese Words and Its Relationship with Word Frequency, by Xinpei Hong, Wei Huang, Haitao Liu, Pages 231–256.

■ Lexical Features and Psychological States: A Quantitative Linguistic Approach, by Xiaowei Du, Pages 257–279.

■ Structural Factor Analysis of Lexical Complexity Constructs and Measures: A Quantitative Measure-Testing Process on Specialised Academic Texts, by Maryam Nasseri, Philip McCarthy, Pages 280–303.

■ Word Length in Chinese: The Menzerath-Altmann Law is Valid After All, by Tereza Motalová, Ján Mačutek, Radek Čech, Pages 304–321.

■ Effects of Word Limit on Sentence Length and Clause Length in Academic Journal Article Abstracts: A Synergetic Linguistic Perspective, by Yue Li, Yuan Gao, Xiaofei Lu, Pages 322–342.

■ Words and Numbers. In Memory of Peter Grzybek (1957-2019), by Mengge Wang, Pages 343–348.

摘要

The Structural Complexity of Chinese Words and Its Relationship with Word Frequency

Xinpei Hong, Institute of Quantitative Linguistics, Faculty of Linguistic Sciences, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China

Wei Huang, Institute of Quantitative Linguistics, Faculty of Linguistic Sciences, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China

Haitao Liu, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China; Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China

Abstract The morphological synergetic model has yet to be fully tested in typical analytic languages. The quantification of Chinese morphology and its relationship with word frequency can help construct and test the morphological synergetic model in Chinese. Based on the Lancaster Corpus of Mandarin Chinese, this study proposes a quantitative method for the structural complexity of Chinese words by Kolmogorov complexity, further examining the interrelation between the structural complexity of words (SCW) and word frequency. Results show that the SCW of words formed by combining morphemes in multiple assembling ways is generally higher than that in a single assembling way among the seven structural types of Chinese words, but derivational affixes impact SCW significantly. The higher SCW, the lower the word frequency. Given the combined effects of morpheme properties, y=Ax-be-cx is more suitable to describe the inverse relationship than y=Ax-b. Additionally, the higher the word frequency, the lower SCW. The delayed negative feedback causes small-scale fluctuations, but y=Ax-be-cx can effectively describe the overall interactions between the two. From the internal mechanism, word frequency changes first, thus causing changes in word structure; In turn, for communication effectiveness, the structure of words becomes more complex to carry more meaning, thus influencing word frequency.

Lexical Features and Psychological States: A Quantitative Linguistic Approach

Xiaowei Du, Department of Foreign Language, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China

Abstract In recent decades, there has been an increasing interest in the relation between lexical features and texts of psychological states. Previous studies demonstrated that some lexical features varied significantly among the texts of psychological states. However, the lexical features at the textual level have received little attention. This paper extends this work by examining the performance of quantitative linguistic indices in classifying texts of psychological issues. A large dataset of forum posts including texts of anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, and normal states were experimented with Machine Learning algorithms. The results revealed that the quantitative linguistic indices with Machine Learning algorithms achieved a high level of success in identifying psychological states. Meanwhile, some quantitative linguistic indices, namely, ALT and Writer’s view, may extract adequate lexical features for classifying texts of different psychological states. The study is probably the first attempt that uses quantitative linguistic indices as lexical features to detect texts of psychological states, and the findings may contribute to our understanding of how accuracy may be enhanced in the identification of various psychological states. Finally, the implications of these findings are discussed.

Structural Factor Analysis of Lexical Complexity Constructs and Measures: A Quantitative Measure-Testing Process on Specialised Academic Texts

Maryam Nasseri, Statistical Modelling and Software development consultant at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), Hampshire, UK

Philip McCarthy, Department of English, American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Abstract This study evaluates 22 lexical complexity measures that represent the three constructs of density, diversity and sophistication. The selection of these measures stems from an extensive review of the SLA linguistics literature. All measures were subjected to qualitative screening for indicators/predictors of lexical proficiency/development and criterion validity based on the body of scholarship. This study’s measure-testing process begins by dividing the selected measures into two groups, similarly calculated and dissimilarly calculated, based on their quantification methods and the results of correlation tests. Using a specialized corpus of postgraduate academic texts, a Structural Factor Analysis (SFA) comprising a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is then conducted. The purpose of SFA is to 1) verify and examine the lexical classifications proposed in the literature, 2) evaluate the relationship between various lexical constructs and their representative measures, 3) identify the indices that best represent each construct and 4) detect possible new structures/dimensions. Based on the analysis of the corpus, the study discusses the construct-distinctiveness of lexical complexity constructs, as well as strong indicators of each conceptual/mathematical group among the measures. Finally, a unique and smaller set of measures representative of each construct is suggested for future studies that require measure selection.

Word Length in Chinese: The Menzerath-Altmann Law is Valid After All

Tereza Motalová, Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Ján Mačutek, Mathematical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; cDepartment of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia

Radek Čech, Department of Czech Language, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Abstract According to the Menzerath-Altmann law, longer language constructs consist, on average, of shorter constituents. It is most often studied at the level of words and syllables (the mean syllable length gets shorter with the increasing word length). Its validity at this level was corroborated in several languages. However, it was claimed that Chinese is an exception with respect to the validity of the Menzerath-Altmann law. We show that the law is valid if word types are considered, while the behaviour of word tokens is different. This difference can be explained by the fact that the Zipf law of abbreviation is valid not only for words but also for syllables (shorter syllables are used more frequently).

Effects of Word Limit on Sentence Length and Clause Length in Academic Journal Article Abstracts: A Synergetic Linguistic Perspective

Yue Li, Department of Foreign Languages, The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Yuan Gao, Department of Foreign Languages, The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Xiaofei Lu, Department of Applied Linguistics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

Abstract Several studies have sought to characterize the syntactic features of research articles (RAs) and their part-genres. However, no study has examined the interrelation between different syntactic components (e.g. sentences and clauses) in the RA genre as a function of interacting internal and external factors (e.g. word limit) from a synergetic linguistic perspective. This study contributes to this line of research by investigating the effects of word limit (i.e. the restriction on the number of words used) on the length of sentences and clauses in RA abstracts. Our results show that RA abstracts contain significantly more longer sentences and clauses than the main body of RAs, but longer sentences in RA abstracts tend to have shorter constituting clauses, indicating that the Menzerath-Altmann Law is at play. Such an interrelation between sentence and clause length helps ensure a cognitively balanced system. Our findings have implications for the need to explore the interrelation between syntactic components emergent from the synergetic interactions of internal and external factors.

Words and Numbers. In Memory of Peter Grzybek (1957-2019)

Mengge Wang, School of International Studies, Zhejiang University

Abstract

The memorial volume under review Words and Numbers. In Memory of Peter Grzybek is a heartfelt tribute to Peter Grzybek, whose contributions span an impressive array of research domains. He particularly excelled in the fields of quantitative text analysis, quantitative linguistics, and statistical modelling of linguistic data. His extensive scientific publications, groundbreaking research projects, and thought-provoking presentations serve as remarkable inputs for the bulk of subsequent studies of numerous scholars, having left profound and lasting influence on their academic journeys.

The two editors of this volume, Emmerich Kelih, the chief editor of Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, and Reinhard Köhler, the founder of Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, extended cordial invitations to Grzybek’s close friends, colleagues and collaborators to contribute to this special volume in order to honour him. The volume comprises a total of 16 articles, written by 29 contributing authors, among which 10 articles are co-authored.

期刊简介

The Journal of Quantitative Linguistics is interested in work which systematically applies or develops mathematical and/or statistical concepts and methods to theoretical understanding of language phenomena. This covers the range of synchronic and diachronic subdomains of linguistic theory, including contemporary and historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and dialectology, and cognitive, neural, and psycholinguistics as well as the various levels of analysis from phonetics through phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. The introduction of mathematical and statistical concepts and methods from the natural sciences, economics, and cognitive science is particularly encouraged, as is philosophical reflection on the relationship of quantitative linguistics as here understood to these other sciences.

《计量语言学》杂志关注系统应用或发展数学、统计学概念和方法，从理论层面理解语言现象的工作。杂志涵盖了语言学理论的历时和共时子领域，包括当代和历史语言学、社会语言学和方言学、认知、神经和心理语言学，以及从语音学到音系学、形态学、句法学、语义学和语用学的各个分析层面。杂志特别鼓励引入自然科学、经济学和认知科学中的数学和统计学概念和方法，以及对所理解的计量语言学与其他科学的关系进行哲学层面思考。

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