Bridging NLP and LLOD: Humanities Approaches to Semantic Change

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Natural language processing (NLP) for detecting lexical semantic change and linguistic linked open data (LLOD) are two areas of research that have shown promising results in the latest years. However ... [more ▼]

Natural language processing (NLP) for detecting lexical semantic change and linguistic linked open data (LLOD) are two areas of research that have shown promising results in the latest years. However, their potential of being considered together for analysing and representing semantic change from a humanistic perspective needs further study and development. The talk presents an overview of theoretical aspects, NLP techniques and LLOD formalisms intended to this purpose, and focuses on a project developed as a humanities use case within the COST Action “Nexus Linguarum - European network for Web-centred linguistic data science.” The discussion includes preliminary thoughts on the conception of a system that combines dictionary information with corpus evidence, and provides multilingual diachronic ontologies for humanities research. [less ▲]

LL(O)D and NLP perspectives on semantic change for humanities research

in Semantic Web (2022)

This paper presents an overview of the LL(O)D and NLP methods, tools and data for detecting and representing semantic change, with its main application in humanities research. The paper’s aim is to ... [more ▼]

This paper presents an overview of the LL(O)D and NLP methods, tools and data for detecting and representing semantic change, with its main application in humanities research. The paper’s aim is to provide the starting point for the construction of a workflow and set of multilingual diachronic ontologies within the humanities use case of the COST Action Nexus Linguarum, European network for Web-centred linguistic data science, CA18209. The survey focuses on the essential aspects needed to understand the current trends and to build applications in this area of study. [less ▲]

The Digital Humanities Classroom as a “Node”. From Toolbox to Mindset?

in DH Benelux Journal (2021), 3(Autumn 2021), 103-115

The paper describes a framework for digital pedagogy and evaluation that combines different approaches – theoretical, application-oriented and project-based –, underpinned by a view of the digital ... [more ▼]

The paper describes a framework for digital pedagogy and evaluation that combines different approaches – theoretical, application-oriented and project-based –, underpinned by a view of the digital humanities classroom metaphorically defined as a “node”. The metaphor encompasses the hybrid character of digital humanities teaching, as a crossing or convergence of paths, which involves the use of various categories of study materials, themes, examples, methodologies and skills, as well as exchange, circulation of ideas and connection with other disciplines. It is assumed that the application of this type of hybrid approach in the course design, together with the coverage of a variety of tools to be studied in class, might foster a reflective mindset, enabling the students to contextualise the digital technologies within different humanities areas, beyond the acquisition of technical skills and knowledge of computational methods and tools usually referred to as the toolbox-based education paradigm. [less ▲]

Towards a computer-assisted aesthetics of user response

in Digital Scholarship in the Humanities (2021)

The article focuses on the analysis of the user as an aesthetic category and proposes a methodology for evaluating user response within a framework that combines theoretical background from different ... [more ▼]

The article focuses on the analysis of the user as an aesthetic category and proposes a methodology for evaluating user response within a framework that combines theoretical background from different areas, the theory of aesthetic response, psycholinguistics, appraisal theory, dialogism, and affective stylistics, with the application of digital tools for corpus linguistics and sentiment analysis. Four user types were derived from the corpus linguistics analysis referred to as immersed, distant, sceptical, and enthusiastic users. Each type may encompass a certain degree of intentionality and convey an attitude, implying features such as commitment and honesty, objectivity and engagement with the audience, critical reflection and circumspection, openness to technological novelty, and enjoyment. This assumes that the users involved in usability testing are not neutral or undifferentiated informational entities placed in an experimental context but individuals that respond to the same stimuli and express themselves differently in light of psycholinguistic factors and rules of social interaction. On the other hand, the results of sentiment analysis showed that an experiential analysis, centred not only on the artefact but also on the response and the experience it generates, may enable understanding the user as involved in a hermeneutic process of interpretation during his/her interaction with the studied artefact. Given the small scale of the analysed data, the study does not intend to provide evidence for general or definitive statements but formulates and illustrates a set of interpretative hypotheses and methodological directions for further enquiry aiming at developing an ‘aesthetics’ of user response. [less ▲]

Oral History and Linguistic Analysis. A Study in Digital and Contemporary European History

in Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings (2019), (159), 13

The article presents a workflow for combining oral history and language technology, and for evaluating this combination in the context of two use cases in European contemporary history research and ... [more ▼]

The article presents a workflow for combining oral history and language technology, and for evaluating this combination in the context of two use cases in European contemporary history research and teaching. Two experiments have been devised to analyse how interdisciplinary connections between history and linguistics are built and evaluated within a digital framework. The longer-term objective of this type of enquiry is to draw up an “inventory” of strengths and weaknesses and potentially build an online collection of use cases to share reflections and render more transparent the process of applying language technology to research and teaching in different areas of study in the humanities. [less ▲]

Oral History and Linguistic Analysis. A Study in Digital and Contemporary European History

Scientific Conference (2018, October 09)

The article presents a workflow for combining oral history and language technology, and for evaluating this combination in the context of European contemporary history research and teaching. Two ... [more ▼]

The article presents a workflow for combining oral history and language technology, and for evaluating this combination in the context of European contemporary history research and teaching. Two experiments are devised to analyse how interdisciplinary connections between history and linguistics are built and evaluated within a digital framework. The longer term objective of this type of enquiry is to draw an “inventory” of strengths and weaknesses of language technology applied to the study of history. [less ▲]

Open TEI Transviewer

Software (2018)

Open source TEI Transviewer. TEI Transviewer is an interface intended to the exploration of primary and secondary sources, at the document level, in historical or other types of digital editions involving ... [more ▼]

Open source TEI Transviewer. TEI Transviewer is an interface intended to the exploration of primary and secondary sources, at the document level, in historical or other types of digital editions involving the representation of original material. Its name comes from the combination of the terms transformation and viewing, supposing the transformation of documents in XML-TEI format (directly in the browser or by means of a server/dedicated editor) so that they can be viewed in the browser. [less ▲]

The Magnifying Glass and the Kaleidoscope. Analysing Scale in Digital History and Historiography

Scientific Conference (2018, June 27)

What is the meaning of scale in historical writings and migration narratives? To what extent can digital tools and methods assist the detection of scale-related patterns in these categories of documents ... [more ▼]

What is the meaning of scale in historical writings and migration narratives? To what extent can digital tools and methods assist the detection of scale-related patterns in these categories of documents? May this enquiry be formalised and eventually turned into a system for scale analysis in texts? To address these questions, the paper combines theoretical background from historical, historiographical, linguistic and literary studies with digital tools and methods for text analysis and visualisation. The project is in an early phase of development; theoretical hypotheses and preliminary experiments for a system dedicated to scale analysis in historical/historiographical texts are presented. Evoking the metaphors of the magnifying glass and the kaleidoscope, the system is intended to allow both scale-related patterns detection and perspective change. [less ▲]

Metaphors in Digital Hermeneutics: Zooming through Literary, Didactic and Historical Representations of Imaginary and Existing Cities

in Digital Humanities Quarterly (2017), 11(3),

The paper proposes to bridge two areas of inquiry, digital hermeneutics and metaphor within a digital environment, by the analysis of a less studied phenomenon, i.e. how interpretation is supported and ... [more ▼]

The paper proposes to bridge two areas of inquiry, digital hermeneutics and metaphor within a digital environment, by the analysis of a less studied phenomenon, i.e. how interpretation is supported and shaped by metaphors embedded in an interface. The study is articulated around three use cases for literary, didactic and historical representations of imaginary and existing cities based on a model (z-text) and interface (Z-editor) for zoomable texts. We will try to demonstrate that the zooming and contextualization features of the tool allow creating layers of meaning that can assist interpretation and critical readings of literature and history. [less ▲]

From Usability Testing and Text Analysis to User Response Criticism

Scientific Conference (2017, August 10)

The article creates a bridge between the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Digital Humanities (DH), where HCI techniques are used to evaluate tools developed in DH projects and the results of ... [more ▼]

The article creates a bridge between the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Digital Humanities (DH), where HCI techniques are used to evaluate tools developed in DH projects and the results of this evaluation are analysed via DH methods. Two case studies in interface and game design are presented by the application of textual analysis to user-response via three systems, for visualisation of the text as a network (Textexture), corpus analysis (TXM), and sentiment analysis (TheySay). Although further experiments and more insight into the theoretical matters are intended, we assume that this kind of analysis, beyond its usability-oriented value, may inform humanistic interface design and approaching of user models, and inspire new paths of reflection on user’s self projection in the digital space, at the intersection of digital hermeneutics, digital aesthetics, and the theory of literary response. [less ▲]