Compressing learner language
An information-theoretic measure of complexity in SLA production data
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11655774 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katharina Ehret (0000-0003-1117-3495, University of Freiburg, corresponding author), Benedikt Szmrecsanyi (0000-0001-8844-6602, KU Leuven) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 23-45 |
| Publication date | 2016-09-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Second language Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0267-6583 • E-ISSN: 1477-0326 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0267658316669559 |
| OpenAlex | W2526517594 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 22 |
| References cited | 28 |
We present a proof-of-concept study that sketches the use of compression algorithms to assess Kolmogorov complexity, which is a text-based, quantitative, holistic, and global measure of structural surface redundancy. Kolmogorov complexity has been used to explore cross-linguistic complexity variation in linguistic typology research, but we are the first to apply it to naturalistic second language acquisition (SLA) data. We specifically investigate the relationship between the complexity of second language (L2) English essays and the amount of instruction the essay writers have received. Analysis shows that increased L2 instructional exposure predicts increased overall complexity and increased morphological complexity, but decreased syntactic complexity (defined here as less rigid word order). While the relationship between L2 instructional exposure and complexity is robust across a number of first language (L1) backgrounds, L1 background does predict overall complexity levels
Algorithm · Computational linguistics · Kolmogorov complexity · Linguistic sequence complexity · Linguistics · Measure (data warehouse · Natural language processing · Second-language acquisition · Structural complexity · Computer Science · Language and cultural evolution · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Psychology · Text Readability and Simplification · Artificial Intelligence
Deconstructing the Library of Babel
Word-formation complexity
Measuring linguistic complexity in Chinese
A cross-linguistic perspective on the relationship between syntactic complexity and Chinese L2 writing quality
Linguistic complexity in scientific writing
Text mining of syntactic complexity in L2 writing
Infant-directed speech becomes less redundant as infants grow
What do complexity measures measure? Correlating and validating corpus-based measures of morphological complexity
Linguistic complexity in second language acquisition
Through the compression glass
Some thoughts on the complexity of syntactic complexity
Complexity as L2-difficulty
On the Many Dimensions of Complexity in Heritage Languages
Negative existential constructions in bilingual Russian
Morphological complexity as a predictor of integrated and independent L2 writing quality
Using constructions to measure developmental language complexity
Effects of speaker types and L1 backgrounds on the linguistic complexity of learners’ writing
The phraseological dimension in interlanguage complexity research
The role of morphological complexity in predicting the learnability of an additional language
The interplay of complexity and subjectivity in opinionated discourse
Complexity and Difficulty in Second Language Acquisition
The Relationship Between First and Second Language Writing
Second Language Acquisition
Challenging stereotypes about academic writing
Quantifying the development of phraseological competence in L2 English writing
Defining and operationalising L2 complexity
Conceptualizing and measuring short-term changes in L2 writing complexity
A Mathematical Theory of Communication
Caf
Syntactic Complexity Measures and their Relationship to L2 Proficiency
Towards an Organic Approach to Investigating CAF in Instructed SLA
Language Complexity as an Evolving Variable
A simple view of linguistic complexity
Should We Use Characteristics of Conversation to Measure Grammatical Complexity in L2 Writing Development
The International Corpus of Learner English
The Basic Variety (or)
Capturing the Diversity in Lexical Diversity
| Unique citing works | 22 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,44 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2026 (10) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 22 |