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Bernhard Wälchli

Advantages and disadvantages of using parallel texts in typological investigations

Keywords: parallel texts, motion events, multi-verb constructions, comparative constructions, quantitative variables

In this paper, advantages and disadvantages of using parallel texts in typological studies are considered according to the criteria of diversity, domains, analysis, per-spective, quality, representativity, and comparability. It is shown in a case study of multi-verb constructions (including serial verb constructions, converb constructions, etc.) in two motion event domains (BRING and RUN) how typology can profit from parallel texts especially in the investigation of quantitative variables. A method is introduced to transform features with continuous distributions into ternary features with low, intermediate, and high values which can then be tested for correlations.

STUF – Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung, Akademie Verlag

Print ISSN: 0942-2919
Volume: 60, 02/2007
Pages: 118 - 134

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