Talk at Guangxi University (Talk at Guangxi University ( 廣西大學廣西大學 ):): Linguistics.Net: Analyzing Language in the Age of IT- Evaluating Language Resources on the Internet在資訊科技年代分析語言 –評價網上語言資源

Dr. Adams BodomoUniversity of Hong Kongabbodomo@hku.hk December 5, 2007 (Wednesday).

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Introduction導言

The Internet 因特網 A massive surge of the Internet and allied Information

and Communication Technologies (ICTs) a powerful tool for research analysis, dissemination,

and documentation

Aim 目的 To examine how the Internet can be used as a good

source of information for learning and doing research about language and linguistics

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Outline of Lecture大綱Survey of Topics on Language and ITBasic TermsLanguage Web SitesDesigning Language Web SitesEvaluation of a Web SiteSummary and Conclusion

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Survey of Language and IT Topics語言及資訊科技主題的調查 Examples of topic from my draft book’s Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Definitions and Basic Conceptual Notions Chapter 2: Is Technology Changing the Way we Communicate

(Speak, Read and Write)? Chapter 3: Some Students Still Read in the Age of IT: Print and

Digital Literacies Chapter 4: TeLCU: A Model for Technology-conditioned

Language and Literacy Change Chapter 5: Insights from Email and ICQ data Chapter 6: Insights from Mobile Phone Communication Chapter 7: The Grammar of Mobile Phone Language Chapter 8: New languages, New Literacies and the School

Curriculum Chapter 9. Learning Technologies (WebCT) Chapter 10: Evaluating Learning Technologies

BASIC TERMSBASIC TERMS基本術語基本術語

HTML Homepage

HTTP

Hypertext

URLInternet

WWW

Webpage

Website

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Internet 因特網 ‘a worldwide network of interconnected networks, connected together using

recognized standards to enable electronic communication and the exchange of information’(Cooke 1999:155)

HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol Hypertext 超文本

Contains cross-references or links to different parts of the same page or to different pages

HTML: Hypertext Markup Language WWW: World Wide Web URL: Uniform (or Universal) Resource Locator Website 網站 : a collection of linked HTML Webpage 網頁 : an individual HTML page Homepage 主頁 : the opening of any site on the WWW

LANGUAGE LANGUAGE WEBSITESWEBSITES語言網站語言網站

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What is a language website?甚麼是語言網站 ? A collection of linked html pages available via

the World Wide Web for the purpose of providing information about some aspects of language and linguistics

Authors: Individuals or groups of linguists or other language

experts and enthusiasts

Example: the Linguist List http://www.linguistlist.org

TYPES OF TYPES OF LANGUAGE WEBSITESLANGUAGE WEBSITES

語言網站的類型語言網站的類型E-dictionaries

E-journalsE-booksBibliographies

Online Language Courses

E-libraries

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Language and Linguistic Association websites語言及語言學組織的網站

Linguist List (http://www.linguistlist.org) Linguistic Society of Hong Kong

(http://lshk.ctl.cityu.edu.hk/) Linguistic Society of America (LSA) (

http://www.lsadc.org) Linguistics Association of the Great Britain

(LAGB) (http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/aboutlag.htm)

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University and Institutional Departmental websites大學及有關部門的網站

HKU Department of Linguistics (http://www.hku.hk/linguist)

Stanford University Department of Linguistics (http://www-linguistics.stanford.edu)

NTNU Department of Linguistics (http://www.ling.hf.ntnu.no/index_en.php)

University of Ghana Department of Linguistics(http://www.ug.edu.gh/deptdetails.php?recordID=56)

Guangxi University(http://www.gxu.edu.cn/administration/gjc/index-e.htm)

Guangxi University for Nationalities(http://english.gxun.cn/)

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Theoretical Linguistics websites理論語言學的網站

LFG (http://www-lfg.stanford.edu/lfg/) HPSG (http://hpsg.stanford.edu) Minimalism (

http://minimalism.linguistics.arizona.edu/) OT-LFG

(http://www.essex.ac.uk/linguistics/LFG/www-lfg.stanford.edu/ot-lfg/ot-lfg.html)

GB (http://www.jtauber.com/linguistics/synthinar/)

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Dictionary and Glossary websites (e-dictionaries and e-glossaries)字典及詞匯表的網站 ( 電子字典及詞匯表 )

SIL Linguistic Glossary ( http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/ )

Oxford English Dictionary (OED Online) (http://www.oed.com)

Cobuild (http://www.cobuild.collins.co.uk/) Merriam Webster

(http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm) Web of Online Dictionaries

(http://www.yourdictionary.com)

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Individual or Language Group (Grammar) websites個別語言 ( 文法 ) 的網站

Chinese (http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/China/linguist.html)

Japanese (http://www.jgram.org/)

French (http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/gr/index.html)

English (http://www.chompchomp.com/)

Swahili (http://www.yale.edu/swahili/)

Dagaare (http://www.hku.hk/linguist/staff/_ab.DagaareProficient.html)

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Online Language and Linguistics Course websites網上語言及語言學課程的網站

WebCT course websites (http://webct.hku.hk/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct)

The Use of IT in Teaching Language and Linguistics Courses(http://www.hku.hk/linguist/staff/TDGBodomo.html)

Online phonology course (http://www.stir.ac.uk/epd/celt/staff/higdox/stephen/phono/phonolg.htm)

Internet Grammar of English (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/home.htm)

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Bibliographical Databases文獻數據庫

Bibliography of Dagaare Studies (http://www.hku.hk/linguist/staff_ab.DagaareBibliog.html)

Lexical-Functional Grammar (http://www.ims.uni-stuttgart.de/~cahillae/LFGBib/bibliography.html)

Chinese studies (http://deall.ohio-state.edu/chan.9/g-bib.htm#c-bib)

(others: see Linguist list)

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E-linguistic resource websites語言學電子資源的網站 : e-librariese-libraries 電子圖書館電子圖書館 The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Linguistics

(http://www.uni-koblenz.de/~compling/Navigationshilfen/Library/) Linguistics bookshelf

(http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/Linguist.html) Lancaster University Library

(http://libweb.lancs.ac.uk/g47.htm) UCLA Library Collections and Internet

Resources in General Linguistics (http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/url/colls/ling)

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E-linguistic resource websites: e-books / e-encyclopediae-books / e-encyclopedia 電子百科電子百科全書全書MSN Encarta

(http://encarta.msn.com/)Encyclopedia.com

(http://www.encyclopedia.com) Wikipedia

(http://www.wikipedia.com)

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E-linguistic resource websites: e-journalse-journals 電子文獻電子文獻

Language and Linguistic Science Electronic Journals (http://www.york.ac.uk/services/library/ejournal/linguist.htm)

Penn Library: Electronic Journals (http://www.library.upenn.edu/webbin5/resources/ejspublic5.cgi?homepage=http://www.library.upenn.edu/&community=Linguistics)

UM Library: Electronic Journals & Newspapers (http://www.lib.umich.edu/ejournals/)

UCL Library: Linguistics Internet resources(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Resources/Arts/lings.shtml)

Journal of Dagaare Studies(http://www.hku.hk/linguist/staff/Bodomo/JDS/all.html)

DESIGNING DESIGNING LANGUAGE WEBSITESLANGUAGE WEBSITES設計語言網站設計語言網站                                                                                                                                                                        

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Designing a language website設計語言網站Design of website:

The creation of a website and the subsequent arrangement and rearrangement of its contents

A good design of a language website depends on how adept we are at manipulating the technology involved and how artistically sophisticated we are

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Tools for creating language websites製作語言網站的工具 Hypertext HTML editors WYSIWYG-editors Netscape Communicator Dreamweaver Microsoft Frontpage WebCT Any more?

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Creating a webpage by using Microsoft Frontpage editor用微軟 Frontpage 製作網頁What do you need?

The editor: Microsoft Frontpage The software for uploading your pages

(e.g. CuteFTP, WsFTP) A server for storing your pages (e.g.

YahooGeocities) Pedagogical tools

Web-based course tool e.g. WebCT

HOW TO EVALUATE A HOW TO EVALUATE A WEBSITEWEBSITE如何評價網站如何評價網站

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Searching for websites搜尋網站 Evaluating a website begins with locating it on

the internet Search engines

Excite (http://www.excite.com) Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) Alta Vista (http://www.altavista.com) Google (meta-search engine) (http://

www.google.com) WebCrawler (meta-search engine) (http://

www.webcrawler.com)

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Criteria for Evaluating a Criteria for Evaluating a Language WebsiteLanguage Website評價網站的標準評價網站的標準 (Cooke 1999, Alexander and Tate 1999)

Authority

權威AccuracyObjectivityCurrencyCoverage

AUTHORITY•Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page? •Is there a link to a page describing the purpose of the sponsoring organization? •Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of the page's sponsor? That is, is there a phone number or postal address to contact for more information? (Simply an email address is not enough). •Is it clear who wrote the material and are the author's qualifications for writing on this topic clearly stated? •If the material is protected by copyright, is the name of the copyright holder given?

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Criteria for Evaluating a Criteria for Evaluating a Language WebsiteLanguage Website評價網站的標準評價網站的標準 (Cooke 1999, Alexander and Tate 1999)

AuthorityAccuracy

精確性ObjectivityCurrencyCoverage

ACCURACY•Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed? •Is the information free from grammatical, spelling, and other typographical errors? (These kinds of errors not only indicate a lack of quality control, but can actually produce inaccuracies in information). •Is it clear who has the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of the content of the material? •If there are charts and/or graphs containing statistical data, are the charts and/or graphs clearly labeled and easy to read?

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Criteria for Evaluating a Criteria for Evaluating a Language WebsiteLanguage Website評價網站的標準評價網站的標準 (Cooke 1999, Alexander and Tate 1999)

AuthorityAccuracyObjectivity

客觀性CurrencyCoverage

OBJECTIVITY•Is the information provided as a public service? •Is the information free of advertising? •If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?

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Criteria for Evaluating a Criteria for Evaluating a Language WebsiteLanguage Website評價網站的標準評價網站的標準 (Cooke 1999, Alexander and Tate 1999)

AuthorityAccuracyObjectivityCurrency

流通性Coverage

CURRENCY•Are there dates on the page to indicate

•when the page was written? •when the page was first placed on the Web? •when the page was last revised?

•Are there any other indications that the material is kept current? •If material is presented in graphs and/or charts, is it clearly stated when the data were gathered? •If the information is published in different editions, is it clearly labeled what edition the page is from? •If the material is from a work which is out of copyright (as is often the case with a dictionary or thesaurus), has there been an effort to update the material to make it more current?

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AuthorityAccuracyObjectivityCurrencyCoverage

覆蓋

COVERAGE (and INTENDED AUDIENCE)•Is there an indication that the page has been completed, and is not still under construction? •If the page is still under construction, is the expected date of completion indicated?•If there is a print-equivalent to the Web page, is there a clear indication of whether the entire work is available on the Web or only parts of it? •Is the intended audience for the material clear?

Criteria for Evaluating a Criteria for Evaluating a Language WebsiteLanguage Website評價網站的標準評價網站的標準 (Cooke 1999, Alexander and Tate 1999)

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Further Criteria其他標準 (Bodomo 2002)

Evidence of Patronage How many ‘customers’ patronise a website

Evidence of Collaboration / Corroboration Whether the author(s) collaborate(s) with other

linguists and language experts in that area of language and linguistics

Multilingual Retrievability Related to online dictionaries/glossaries

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An Optimal Model for Language Website Evaluation- - e.g. Online English language learninge.g. Online English language learning

 

 Key to abbreviations:ACC: AccuracyATH: AuthorityOBJ: ObjectivityCUR: Currency

 COV: CoveragePAT: Evidence of PatronageCOL: Evidence of CollaborationMR: Multilingual Retrievability

CriterionCandidate website

ACCACC ATHATH OBJOBJ CURCUR COVCOV PATPAT COLCOL MRMR Ranked Ranked OutputOutput

Internet Grammar of English

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/

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English4ushttp://www.english4us.com/

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English for Internethttp://www.study.com/

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BBC Englishhttp://

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish

/

3

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Summary and Conclusion結論 The web is an important source of data But the web can also contain a lot of

inaccuracies and unethical material Hence the need for quality control and

consequently evaluation In this lecture we have provided

information about language webpage creation before discussing criteria for Language webpage evaluation, and ended with proposals towards a model of language website evaluation.

References 參考書目 Alexander, Jan. E. and Marsha Ann Tate. 1996. Checklist for an

Informational Web Page. USA: Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University. URL: http://www3.widener.edu/659/

Alexander, Jan. E. and Marsha Ann Tate. 1999. Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers.

Bodomo, A. B. in preparation. Languages, Literacies, and Technologies: Forms and Ways of Communication in the Age of Information Technology and their Educational Implications. [250 page book draft]

Bodomo, A. B. 2002. Linguistics.com: Evaluating Language Resources on the Internet. In: Reflecting on Language in Education, edited by V. Crew, C. Davison, and B. Mak. Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Institute of Education. pps. 153-167.

Cooke, Alison. 1999. Authoritative Guide to Evaluating Information on the Internet. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Grassian, Esther. 1997. Thinking Critically about Discipline-based World Wide Web Resources. USA: UCLA College Library. Available URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/discipline.htm

Kapoun, Jim. 1998. Teaching Undergrads Web Evluation: A Guide for Library Instruction. URL: http://www.ala.org/acrl/undwebev.html

Landsberger, Joe. 2000 Evaluating Website Content. URL: http://www.studygs.net/evaluate.htm

Skillman & Kirby Libraries. 2000. Evaluating Websites for Academic Use. URL: http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~library/guides/evaluating.html

Wolinsky, Art. 1999. Locating and Evaluating Information on the Internet. USA: Enslow Publishers, Inc.

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Referencing Internet Resources引用互聯網資源

Many different accepted formats Information to be included for citing web resources

Name(s) of author(s) Date/year of publication Title of the website/webpage Date of retrieval/access URL i.e. the address of the document

Useful resources: Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the

American Psychological Association (http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html)

MLA Style: How do I document sources from the World Wide Web in my works-cited list? (http://www.mla.org/style_faq4)

Evaluating and Citing Web Resources for Research (HKUST) (http://library.ust.hk/serv/lin/evaluate-cite.html)