Abstract
In this paper, we propose a computational framework for a lexical resource that will better facilitate
diachronic study of Irish verbs. The verbal system is subject to major morphological changes between
Early Irish (c. 7th-12th centuries A.D.) and Modern Irish varieties (post-12th centuries) (McCone
1997). Moreover, whereas the literary output in the Old Irish period (c. 8th-9th centuries A.D.) points
to a standardised language (Stifter 2009), all post-Old Irish historical varieties, except for bardic
poetry (Early Modern Irish period, c. 13th-17th centuries A.D.), show a substantial degree of
grammatical, orthographical and – particularly evident in the case of Early Modern Irish prose (Ó
hUiginn 2013) – stylistic variation (cf. contributions in McCone 1994). The available digital support
is insufficient to systematically trace the linguistic change and variation.
The research described here aims to mitigate the lack of digital support by creating and
linking verb forms in morphologically annotated corpora by using a morphological analyser for
contemporary, standardised Irish – already in the process of being adapted for successively earlier
Modern Irish texts (UíDhonnchadha et al. 2014) – and by developing new tagging tools for Old Irish,
to project forward to later forms.
This paper will focus on the creation of a morphological analyser for Old Irish using finite-
state morphology (Beesley and Karttunen 2003). Recognition rates for an Early Irish sample text and
associated findings and challenges will be reported on. The paper concludes with an outlook on the
implementation stage of the lexical resource, its benefits and potential further research. We will (a)
discuss challenges in morphologically tagging and accurately linking verbal cognates across historical
corpora, (b) explore the ways in which this resource can serve and advance (digital) scholarship in
historical Irish philology and linguistics, and (c) address more general questions relating to the
balance between computational methods and manual work in successfully linking cognate verb forms.
Lingua originale | English |
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Titolo della pubblicazione ospite | The 10th Celtic Linguistics Conferences [sic] |
Pagine | 19-20 |
Numero di pagine | 2 |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2018 |
Evento | The 10th Celtic Linguistics Conferences [sic] - Maynooth Durata: 4 set 2018 → 5 set 2018 |
Convegno
Convegno | The 10th Celtic Linguistics Conferences [sic] |
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Città | Maynooth |
Periodo | 4/9/18 → 5/9/18 |
Keywords
- Irish
- morphological analysis
- lexical resource