Big Data and Bad Data: Challenges of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods in Linguistics

September 2-3

Prof. Anita Auer, UNIL

Dr Tino Oudesluijs, UNIL

Dr Moragh Gordon, Utrecht universiteit

Prof. Alexander Bergs, University of Osnabrück

Prof. Daniel Schreier, University of Zurich

Prof. Susan Fitzmaurice, University of Sheffield

This workshop will focus on the empirical basis of linguistic research, particularly on quantitative and qualitative research methods based on empirical data, including the challenges, advantages, shortcomings, complementary value, etc. of a variety of methods for the (theoretical) interpretation of the data. Selected questions that will be addressed during this workshop are as follows: 1. How have recent developments in digital humanities (e.g. large scale digitization of hitherto unknown manuscript material (diachronic) or social media data (synchronic)) affected the way in which we approach data from a linguistic perspective? More specifically, do these developments introduce bad data challenges and/or resolve existing bad data problems? 2. How and in what way could the 'Big Data' approach have an effect on our interpretations of language variation and change, and also the role of language standards? 3. What impact will the latter approach have on existing theoretical frameworks? For instance, will it lead to revisions of frameworks such as the social network theory and community of practice, which are used to interpret historical and contemporary data? This workshop is primarily aimed at postgraduate students working in the field of language variation and change (past and present) of any language, but it may be of interest to doctoral students in other fields of linguistics as well.

Lausanne

See also the link to our website, where the workshop will be advertised in greater length: www.emergingstandards.eu

If you are not able to register via CUSO any more (because the limit of 10 has been reached), you can get in touch directly with the organisers ([email protected]) regarding registration.

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