(Post)classical and medieval Greek multi-word expressions: Data, methodology, and analysis
CALL FOR CHAPTERS
Phrases such as pay attention, in spite of, and United Kingdom are multi-word
expressions. The signifier is complex but the signified is not, i.e. pay attention is a verb
phrase, in spite of a preposition, and United Kingdom a noun phrase. The Ancient Greek
working group annotates these in classical literary Attic oratory, historiography, and
philosophical prose using the PARSEME 1.3 guidelines (see https://parsemefr.lis-
lab.fr/parseme-st-guidelines/1.3/index.php?page=home). The PARSEME 1.3 guidelines
define comparative concepts for verbal multi-word expressions. A comparative concept
is a concept ‘specifically designed for the purpose of comparison’ and ‘independent of
descriptive categories’ (Haspelmath 2010: 664; Savary et al. 2018: 96; Hoffmann 2023:
29–31; Schafroth 2020). A descriptive category is a category that is used to describe a
language and is language-specific (Haspelmath 2010: 664). The Ancient Greek working
group has translated the comparative concepts of the PARSEME guidelines into
descriptive categories for classical literary Attic historiography, oratory, and
philosophical prose. Furthermore, we push the boundaries as to what types of
structures should perhaps be included in future but are not currently
(see www.ancientgreekmwe.com).
The proposed volume has three focal areas:
1. [Data] Multi-word expressions in datasets representing different genres, registers,
and styles vis-à-vis the PARSEME Ancient Greek corpus (both other Greek
corpora and other language corpora) (Fendel 2024)
2. [Methodology] Comparative concept vs. descriptive category and the PARSEME
1.3 guidelines for (post)classical Greek
3. [Analysis] Interfaces and blurry lines between categories especially with regard to
the working group’s NotMWE category
While the obvious disciplines addressed are perhaps Linguistics (corpus linguistics),
Classics (philology), and Computer science (natural language processing), we
encourage creative minds to surprise us. We explicitly welcome proposals from those
that are not part of either the UniDive COST action or the PARSEME Ancient Greek
working group.
We are especially interested in under-represented data types such as papyrological and
epigraphic sources and the role multi-word expressions play in these along with the
challenges for identification and/or discovery.
We do not expect everyone to apply a computational approach but rather would like to
see approaches that are data-appropriate. If you are building a tool or conversely sitting
on the theoretical side of things, we ask that there is a clear (direct or comparative)
application to the PARSEME data and methodology.
Abstracts of max. 350 words (excluding bibliography) with author-date references
(but no page numbers) and a list of references providing a clear indication of the
methodology, analysis, and interpretation as well as the relevance to any of the three
focal areas should be sent to the team leader underDiese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein. .
Deadline for abstracts: 14 February 2025
Notification of outcome: by 28 February 2025
(Tentative) submission deadline for full drafts: 31 July 2025 (with marginal flexibility if
agreed with the editor in advance)
References
Fendel, Victoria (ed.). 2024. Support-verb constructions in the corpora of Greek:
Between lexicon and grammar? (Phraseology and Multiword Expressions 7). Berlin:
Language Science Press.
Haspelmath, Martin. 2010. Comparative concepts and descriptive categories in
crosslinguistic studies. Language 86(3). 663–687.
Hoffmann, Roland. 2023. Latin support-verb constructions: a view from language
typology. In José Miguel Baños, María Dolores Jiménez López, María Jiménez Martínez &
Cristina Tur (eds.), Collocations in theoretical and applied linguistics: from classical
languages to Romance languages, 21–56. Madrid: SEEC.
Savary, Agata, Marie Candito, Verginica Mititelu, Eduard Bejček, Fabienne Cap, Slavomír
Čéplö, Silvio Cordeiro, et al. 2018. PARSEME multilingual corpus of verbal multiword
expressions. In Stella Markantonatou, Carlos Ramisch, Agata Savary & Veronika Vincze
(eds.), Multiword expressions at length and in depth: Extended papers from the MWE
2017 workshop, 87–147. Berlin: Language Science Press.
Schafroth, Elmar. 2020. Überlegungen zu Funktionsverbgefügen aus
sprachvergleichender Sicht. In Sabine De Knop & Manon Hermann
(eds.), Funktionsverbgefügen im Fokus: Theoretische, didaktische und kontrastive
Perspektiven, 179–210. Berlin; Boston: Mouton De Gruyter.
Phrases such as pay attention, in spite of, and United Kingdom are multi-word
expressions. The signifier is complex but the signified is not, i.e. pay attention is a verb
phrase, in spite of a preposition, and United Kingdom a noun phrase. The Ancient Greek
working group annotates these in classical literary Attic oratory, historiography, and
philosophical prose using the PARSEME 1.3 guidelines (see https://parsemefr.lis-
lab.fr/parseme-st-guidelines/1.3/index.php?page=home). The PARSEME 1.3 guidelines
define comparative concepts for verbal multi-word expressions. A comparative concept
is a concept ‘specifically designed for the purpose of comparison’ and ‘independent of
descriptive categories’ (Haspelmath 2010: 664; Savary et al. 2018: 96; Hoffmann 2023:
29–31; Schafroth 2020). A descriptive category is a category that is used to describe a
language and is language-specific (Haspelmath 2010: 664). The Ancient Greek working
group has translated the comparative concepts of the PARSEME guidelines into
descriptive categories for classical literary Attic historiography, oratory, and
philosophical prose. Furthermore, we push the boundaries as to what types of
structures should perhaps be included in future but are not currently
(see www.ancientgreekmwe.com).
The proposed volume has three focal areas:
1. [Data] Multi-word expressions in datasets representing different genres, registers,
and styles vis-à-vis the PARSEME Ancient Greek corpus (both other Greek
corpora and other language corpora) (Fendel 2024)
2. [Methodology] Comparative concept vs. descriptive category and the PARSEME
1.3 guidelines for (post)classical Greek
3. [Analysis] Interfaces and blurry lines between categories especially with regard to
the working group’s NotMWE category
While the obvious disciplines addressed are perhaps Linguistics (corpus linguistics),
Classics (philology), and Computer science (natural language processing), we
encourage creative minds to surprise us. We explicitly welcome proposals from those
that are not part of either the UniDive COST action or the PARSEME Ancient Greek
working group.
We are especially interested in under-represented data types such as papyrological and
epigraphic sources and the role multi-word expressions play in these along with the
challenges for identification and/or discovery.
We do not expect everyone to apply a computational approach but rather would like to
see approaches that are data-appropriate. If you are building a tool or conversely sitting
on the theoretical side of things, we ask that there is a clear (direct or comparative)
application to the PARSEME data and methodology.
Abstracts of max. 350 words (excluding bibliography) with author-date references
(but no page numbers) and a list of references providing a clear indication of the
methodology, analysis, and interpretation as well as the relevance to any of the three
focal areas should be sent to the team leader under
Deadline for abstracts: 14 February 2025
Notification of outcome: by 28 February 2025
(Tentative) submission deadline for full drafts: 31 July 2025 (with marginal flexibility if
agreed with the editor in advance)
References
Fendel, Victoria (ed.). 2024. Support-verb constructions in the corpora of Greek:
Between lexicon and grammar? (Phraseology and Multiword Expressions 7). Berlin:
Language Science Press.
Haspelmath, Martin. 2010. Comparative concepts and descriptive categories in
crosslinguistic studies. Language 86(3). 663–687.
Hoffmann, Roland. 2023. Latin support-verb constructions: a view from language
typology. In José Miguel Baños, María Dolores Jiménez López, María Jiménez Martínez &
Cristina Tur (eds.), Collocations in theoretical and applied linguistics: from classical
languages to Romance languages, 21–56. Madrid: SEEC.
Savary, Agata, Marie Candito, Verginica Mititelu, Eduard Bejček, Fabienne Cap, Slavomír
Čéplö, Silvio Cordeiro, et al. 2018. PARSEME multilingual corpus of verbal multiword
expressions. In Stella Markantonatou, Carlos Ramisch, Agata Savary & Veronika Vincze
(eds.), Multiword expressions at length and in depth: Extended papers from the MWE
2017 workshop, 87–147. Berlin: Language Science Press.
Schafroth, Elmar. 2020. Überlegungen zu Funktionsverbgefügen aus
sprachvergleichender Sicht. In Sabine De Knop & Manon Hermann
(eds.), Funktionsverbgefügen im Fokus: Theoretische, didaktische und kontrastive
Perspektiven, 179–210. Berlin; Boston: Mouton De Gruyter.