Computer-Assisted Language Comparison in Practice: Tutorials on Computational Approaches to the History and Diversity of Languages
type: channel
description: Computer-Assisted Language Comparison in Practice offers tutorials and discussion notes devoted to the topic of computer-assisted approaches to language history and diversity. The tutorials cover a broad range of topics, ranging from introductory notes on programming, via examples for data-sharing and re-use, up to code examples for complex analyses using software like Python and R.
publisher: Chair of Multilingual Computational Linguistics
language: en
publication name: Computer-Assisted Language Comparison in Practice: Tutorials on Computational Approaches to the History and Diversity of Languages
issn: 2629-5873
copyright: As a general rule, all articles in this journal are published with CC-BY Attribution 4.0 License.
items: Standardizing Phonetic Transcriptions for Kitchen et al.'s Comparative Wordlist on Semitic Languages with Language-Specific Orthography Profile
items: Manipulating Lexical Forms with the PyLexibank FormSpec
items: Integrating Semantic Embeddings into NoRaRe
items: Illustrating Data Curation in NoRaRe with the Help of Templates
items: Digitizing Legacy Lexical Data of Muishaung for Computer-Assisted Language Comparison
items: Handling Non-Standard Datasets in NoRaRe: A Practical Guide
items: Extracting Transparent Compounds from Lexibank
items: PyLexibench — Generating Data for Lexibench with a Python Package
items: How to Run EDICTOR 3 Locally
items: Lexibench: Towards an Improved Collection of Benchmark Data for Computational Historical Linguistics
items: Making a Lexibank Dataset from Lee’s “Phonological Features of Caijia” from 2023
items: Typing Special Characters as a Key Skill for Linguists
items: Generating Phonological Feature Vectors with SoundVectors and CLTS
items: Preparing Acoustic Pitch Data for Computational Analysis and Presentation
items: Using CLDFBench and PyLexibank on Windows
items: Converting an Artificial Proto-Language into Data for Testing Computational Approaches in Historical Linguistics
items: Adding Standardized Transcriptions to Panoan and Tacanan Languages in the Intercontinental Dictionary Series
items: Past and Future of Computer-Assisted Language Comparison in Practice
items: How to Visualize Colexification Networks in Cytoscape (How to Do X in Linguistics 14)
items: A New Python Library for the Manipulation and Annotation of Linguistic Sequences
items: Implementing Fuzzy Spelling Search in Dictionaries of Under-Described Languages Lacking Standard Orthographies
items: Representing the Database of Semantic Shifts by Zalizniak et al. from 2024 in Cross-Linguistic Data Formats
items: An Extended Concept List of Vietnamese
items: Parsing IPA Transcriptions with CLTS
items: Retrieving and Analyzing Taste Colexifications from Lexibank
items: Five Recommendations for Creating Spreadsheets
items: Sequence Manipulation with Orthography Profiles in JavaScript
items: Creating a Standardized Comparative Wordlist of Newari Varieties
items: Creating a CLDF Wordlist from Heath et al.’s Dogon Comparative Wordlist
items: How to Organize Literature and Notes in Zotero (How to do X in Linguistics 13)

Standardizing Phonetic Transcriptions for Kitchen et al.'s Comparative Wordlist on Semitic Languages with Language-Specific Orthography Profile
type: item
description: <p class="docData;DOCY;v5;3321;[binary]" style="text-align: justify; border: none; mso-border-between: none; margin: 12.000000000000002pt 28.35pt 12.000000000000002pt 28.35pt;">Comparative wordlists are a fundamental tool for tracing language history, allowing us to see how languages are related, much like biologists use DNA to infer phylogenies of species. When linguists compile data from different sources, scholars often code lexical data differently, using individual transcription systems that cannot be directly compared with each other. In order to make such data comparable, individual transcription systems must be unified in order to reflect a common standard. This study illustrates how such unification can be done by taking a particularly diverse dataset on Semitic languages as example and illustrating how transcriptions for individual language varieties can be harmonized as part of the general standardization workflow proposed by the Cross-Linguistic Data Formats initiative.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: Cross-Linguistic Data Formats
  topic: keywords
subject: Orthography Profiles
  topic: keywords
subject: Cross-Linguistic Transcription Systems
  topic: keywords
subject: Semitic languages
  topic: keywords
creator: Ben Sapirstein
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-11-10
publication date: 2025-11-10
starting page: 95
ending page: 105
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.2.5

Manipulating Lexical Forms with the PyLexibank FormSpec
type: item
description: Multilingual lexical data is typically stored in a wide variety of forms, based on many idiosyncratic decisions that vary from dataset to dataset. Here, a simple but efficient solution for the manipulation of lexical data in multilingual wordlists will be introduced. This solution, the PyLexibank FormSpec, was originall developed for the conversion of various kinds of lexical data to Cross-Linguistic Data Formats, but it can also be used as a standalone. This study offers a basic tutorial that illustrates how the FormSpec can be put to concrete use.
subject: Code Presentation
  topic: section
subject: PyLexibank
  topic: keywords
subject: Lexibank
  topic: keywords
subject: FormSpec
  topic: keywords
subject: code
  topic: keywords
subject: tutorial
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-10-28
publication date: 2025-10-28
starting page: 87
ending page: 93
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.2.4

Integrating Semantic Embeddings into NoRaRe
type: item
description: This study illustrates how semantic embeddings can be added to and retrieved from NoRaRe. By that, it provides a template for handling vector data and makes popular methodology in semantic modeling available for cross-linguistic comparison.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: concept embeddings
  topic: keywords
subject: NoRaRe
  topic: keywords
subject: word embeddings
  topic: keywords
creator: Arne Rubehn
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-09-17
publication date: 2025-09-17
starting page: 81
ending page: 86
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.2.3

Illustrating Data Curation in NoRaRe with the Help of Templates
type: item
description: This study introduces a collection of templates that can be used to contribute data to the Database of Norms, Ratings, and Relations (NoRaRe) of words and concepts. The templates are intended to facilitate the process of dataset conversion and serve as a starting point for those who are interested to contribute data to the catalog. A first template structure with two sample datasets is introduced and discussed in more detail, pointing to those aspects of data curation that may lead to confusion among users who contribute the first time to the NoRaRe database.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: Database of Norms, Ratings, and Relations
  topic: keywords
subject: Conception
  topic: keywords
subject: concept mapping
  topic: keywords
subject: data curation
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-08-25
publication date: 2025-08-25
starting page: 65
ending page: 80
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.2.2

Digitizing Legacy Lexical Data of Muishaung for Computer-Assisted Language Comparison
type: item
description: This study describes the process of digitizing legacy materials into a computer-readable format for the purposes of computational typology and computer-assisted historical reconstruction. It presents a comparative wordlist that is made available in the formats recommended by the Cross-Linguistic Data Formats initiative.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: CLDF conversion
  topic: keywords
subject: CLDF dataset
  topic: keywords
subject: Muishaung
  topic: keywords
subject: Sino-Tibetan
  topic: keywords
creator: Kellen Parker van Dam
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-23
publication date: 2025-07-23
starting page: 61
ending page: 64
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.2.1

Handling Non-Standard Datasets in NoRaRe: A Practical Guide
type: item
description: NoRaRe, the Database of Cross-Linguistic Norms, Ratings, and Relations, is a resource that curates multiple datasets containing information on various properties of words and concepts. When researchers contribute their data, the format and structure can vary widely, presenting challenges for seamless integration. Here, I offer practical guidance for addressing common issues such as data being placed in different sheets, headers in unexpected rows, or datasets contained within zip-files. The strategies shared here offer a foundational approach to understanding and adapting NoRaRe’s flexibility to accommodate the idiosyncrasy of each dataset.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
creator: Mira Ahmedović
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-03-12
publication date: 2025-03-12
starting page: 17
ending page: 23
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.1.3

Extracting Transparent Compounds from Lexibank
type: item
description: Many languages make use of transparent compounding processes in order to express certain words in their lexicon. With time, these processes can loose their transparency, making them hard to detect automatically. With large data collections simple tests can be designed to detect transparent compounds and investigate their distribution. This study illustrates how a very rudimentary analysis of cross-linguistically recurring transparent compound patterns can be applied to Lexibank data with a few lines of Python code.
subject: Code Presentation
  topic: section
subject: compounding
  topic: keywords
subject: transparency
  topic: keywords
subject: lexical motivation
  topic: keywords
subject: motivation patterns
  topic: keywords
subject: compound detection
  topic: keywords
subject: Lexibank
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-05-26
publication date: 2025-05-26
starting page: 39
ending page: 47
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.1.5

PyLexibench — Generating Data for Lexibench with a Python Package
type: item
description: With PyLexibench we introduce a small Python package that can be used to populate the Lexibench benchmark for computational historical linguistics with benchmark data. Here, we introduce the package and show how it helps to access and expand Lexibench. We also introduce new data for character matrices in various forms and formats and lay out how we intend to use the package to manage Lexibench releases in the future.
subject: Code Presentation
  topic: section
subject: Python package
  topic: keywords
subject: computational historical linguistics
  topic: keywords
subject: benchmark database
  topic: keywords
subject: character matrices
  topic: keywords
subject: phylogenetic reconstruction
  topic: keywords
creator: Luise Häuser
creator: Robert Forkel
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-04-22
publication date: 2025-04-22
starting page: 25
ending page: 37
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.1.4

How to Run EDICTOR 3 Locally
type: item
description: EDICTOR3 offers many ways of comparing language data with computer-assisted methods. This study offers a short overview of how to run EDICTOR3 locally, without the need for uploading the data to a server or being connected to the internet, while maintaining all the functionalities. In a first step, we will show how one can download a Lexibank dataset and create different types of files that one can use with EDICTOR. We will then proceed to present the possibility of running an EDICTOR server locally and to edit the dataset that one has downloaded.
subject: Code Presentation
  topic: section
subject: EDICTOR
  topic: keywords
subject: Computer-Assisted Language Comparison
  topic: keywords
subject: historical language comparison
  topic: keywords
subject: tutorial
  topic: keywords
creator: Frederic Blum
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-01-27
publication date: 2025-01-27
starting page: 1
ending page: 8
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.1.1

Lexibench: Towards an Improved Collection of Benchmark Data for Computational Historical Linguistics
type: item
description: Computational approaches in historical linguistics have made great progress during the past two decades. As of now, it is much more common to propose subgroupings based on phylogenetic analyses than on traditional considerations using shared innovations. We have also seen a drastic increase in openly available datasets that share cognate judgments for various language families. Thanks to new standardization efforts providing facilitated access to several dozen comparative wordlists, it seems about time to work on on improved benchmarks of manually annotated cognates in computational historical linguistics. In this study, a first effort of this kind is undertaken, by presenting Lexibench, a preliminary gold standard for computational historical linguistics. Lexibench builds on the Lexibank repository to extract 63 multilingual wordlists, all manually annotated for cognacy, that can be used to assess the quality of cognate detection and phylogenetic reconstruction methods in computational historical linguistics.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: dataset
  topic: keywords
subject: computational historical linguistics
  topic: keywords
subject: benchmark data
  topic: keywords
subject: cognate detection
  topic: keywords
creator: Luise Häuser
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-02-24
publication date: 2025-02-24
starting page: 9
ending page: 16
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.1.2

Making a Lexibank Dataset from Lee’s “Phonological Features of Caijia” from 2023
type: item
description: Caijia is a very interesting Sino-Tibetan language variety. It has been documented only recently, it seems to belong to the Sinitic branch of Sino-Tibetan, but shows some archaic features that have led to some controversies among scholars regarding its proper affiliation, and detailed comparative analyses of the language in comparison with other Sino-Tibetan languages are still in their infancy. This little study demonstrates how a first published wordlist of Caijia (Lee 2023) can be prepared for the inclusion in the Lexibank repository.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: Caijia
  topic: keywords
subject: Lexibank
  topic: keywords
subject: CLDF Dataset
  topic: keywords
subject: Sino-Tibetan
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-06-25
publication date: 2025-06-25
starting page: 49
ending page: 59
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2025.1.6

Typing Special Characters as a Key Skill for Linguists
type: item
description: Most linguists have to type special characters that are not available on an ordinary keyboard on a regular basis. Reflecting about the general problems involved in typing special characters, I review different solutions and argue that linguists should not only be able to type special characters on their computers, but that they should also have some basic knowledge about their technical aspects and know how to expand and customize them. In order to improve the training of young scholars, it is important to discuss special character typing more openly in linguistics, especially in the classroom and with doctoral students, sharing individual solutions openly.
subject: Review
  topic: section
subject: typing special characters
  topic: keywords
subject: IPA
  topic: keywords
subject: teaching linguistics
  topic: keywords
subject: key skills
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-11-04
publication date: 2024-11-04
starting page: 95
ending page: 101
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.2.5

Generating Phonological Feature Vectors with SoundVectors and CLTS
type: item
description: The recently published Python library soundvectors offers a simple and robust method to derive phonological feature vectors for any valid IPA sound via its canonical description. It is designed to interact neatly with the Cross-Linguistic Transcription Systems reference catalog (CLTS), which dynamically parses valid strings in phonetic transcription to describe speech sounds. This study illustrates how both systems can be used together to generate phonological feature vectors for all kinds of sounds without relying on a previously defined lookup table. Additionally, it compares the generated feature vectors with those obtained from two other prominent databases, PanPhon and PHOIBLE, showing how those systems can be accessed from the CLTS data via its Python API pyclts.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: sound vectors
  topic: keywords
subject: feature system
  topic: keywords
subject: CLTS
  topic: keywords
subject: PanPhon
  topic: keywords
subject: PHOIBLE
  topic: keywords
creator: Arne Rubehn
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-08-05
publication date: 2024-08-05
starting page: 59
ending page: 67
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.2.2

Preparing Acoustic Pitch Data for Computational Analysis and Presentation
type: item
description: Pitch plays an important role in many linguistic systems. It is the primary set of features which determine vowel quality distinctions as well as forming the basis for intonation and contrastive tone systems. Unfortunately, much of the literature has relied on approaches to presenting and analysing pitch data that can result in a lack of data transparency, reproducibility, and analytical robustness. These issues are easily solved through the selection of a more appropriate scale for pitch values. This study presents the issues with using raw pitch data as Hertz values some historical efforts to resolve these issues, and two more appropriate solutions than some of the more widely used systems, with a way to easily calculate these alternative systems in a short Python script.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: pitch data
  topic: keywords
subject: computational analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: computational phonetics
  topic: keywords
subject: tutorial
  topic: keywords
creator: Kellen Parker van Dam
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-10-07
publication date: 2024-10-07
starting page: 79
ending page: 94
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.2.4

Using CLDFBench and PyLexibank on Windows
type: item
description: Using tools such as CLDFBench and PyLexibank, datasets can be converted into Cross-Linguistic Data Formats (CLDF), offering a standardized and interoperable representation of linguistic data. While these tools are powerful, lifting datasets to CLDF can present unique challenges for Windows users due to idiosyncrasies in the Windows operating system. Although CLDFBench and PyLexibank are compatible with Windows, certain workarounds may be necessary to address system-specific issues. This guide aims to demonstrate how CLDFBench and PyLexibank can be effectively installed and used on a Windows computer to lift a dataset to CLDF.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: CLDF
  topic: keywords
subject: CLDFBench
  topic: keywords
subject: PyLexibank
  topic: keywords
subject: Lexibank
  topic: keywords
subject: Windows
  topic: keywords
subject: operating system
  topic: keywords
subject: CLDF conversion
  topic: keywords
creator: David Snee
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-12-18
publication date: 2024-12-18
starting page: 103
ending page: 109
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.2.6

Converting an Artificial Proto-Language into Data for Testing Computational Approaches in Historical Linguistics
type: item
description: This small study shows how data for an artificially created language that was supposed to reflect features of "proto-languages", predating modern languages by several thousand years, can be used in testing computational approaches in historical linguistics. In order to do so, computational workflow is described that retrieves the data automatically, creating a comparative wordlist compatible in format with software tools for historical linguistics, and then uses a baseline method for automatic cognate detection to compare an artificial language against a sample of Indo-European languages. The results show that artificial languages might help to fill a gap in testing that has so far been ignored in the literature.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: constructed language
  topic: keywords
subject: artificial language
  topic: keywords
subject: evaluation
  topic: keywords
subject: Python
  topic: keywords
subject: Concepticon
  topic: keywords
subject: computer-assisted language comparison
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-07-17
publication date: 2024-07-17
starting page: 47
ending page: 58
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.2.1

Adding Standardized Transcriptions to Panoan and Tacanan Languages in the Intercontinental Dictionary Series
type: item
description: In this study, we illustrate how standardized phonetic transcriptions can be added to the data for Panoan and Tacanan languages provided by the Intercontinental Dictionary Series. The result is presented as a new dataset that keeps reference to the original data and adds phonetic transcriptions for each word form in Panoan languages, Tacanan languages, as well as Spanish and Portuguese.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: Panoan languages
  topic: keywords
subject: Tacanan languages
  topic: keywords
subject: CLDF datasets
  topic: keywords
subject: comparative wordlist
  topic: keywords
subject: Intercontinental Dictionary Series
  topic: keywords
creator: John Miller
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-09-02
publication date: 2024-09-02
starting page: 69
ending page: 77
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.2.3

Past and Future of Computer-Assisted Language Comparison in Practice
type: item
description: Our blog "Computer-Assisted Language Comparison in Practice" goes into its seventh year. We reflect on the role the blog played in the past and present and new goals and concrete ideas for the future. The most drastic innovation we initiated is to turn the blog into an open journal, which means that all future and successively also past contributions will be archived in PDF format with digital object identifiers.
subject: Review
  topic: section
subject: editorial article
  topic: keywords
subject: online publication
  topic: keywords
subject: scientific blogging
  topic: keywords
subject: scientific practice
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
creator: Annika Tjuka
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-01-17
publication date: 2024-01-17
starting page: 1
ending page: 6
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.1.1

How to Visualize Colexification Networks in Cytoscape (How to Do X in Linguistics 14)
type: item
description: The ability to visualize data in an intelligible way is an important skill for scientists. In linguistics, especially in lexical semantics, data are often visualized using graphs, i.e., networks. For example, in the web app for the Database of Cross-Linguistic Colexifications (CLICS), we use networks to illustrate that a lexical form refers to two different concepts by connecting the concepts (i.e., nodes) with a line (i.e., edge). When identifying the colexifications between concepts across a large number of languages, the network grows and a tool to visualize multiple data points becomes necessary. Here, I present a tutorial for the first steps to visualize a colexification network with Cytoscape. The tutorial is intended for beginners who want to learn how the tool works and serves as a starting point for further skill development.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: concept networks
  topic: keywords
subject: network visualization
  topic: keywords
subject: Cytoscape
  topic: keywords
subject: tutorial
  topic: keywords
creator: Annika Tjuka
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-02-19
publication date: 2024-02-19
starting page: 7
ending page: 16
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.1.2

A New Python Library for the Manipulation and Annotation of Linguistic Sequences
type: item
description: The Python package linse (https://pypi.org/project/linse) offers various methods for the manipulation and annotation of sequences. In this short overview, we summarize its major functionalities and provide some information on its background and how we intend to develop it further in the future.
subject: Code Presentation
  topic: section
subject: sequence manipulation
  topic: keywords
subject: sequence annotation
  topic: keywords
subject: computational historical linguistics
  topic: keywords
subject: historical language comparison
  topic: keywords
subject: linguistic sequences
  topic: keywords
creator: Robert Forkel
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-03-25
publication date: 2024-03-25
starting page: 17
ending page: 23
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.1.3

Implementing Fuzzy Spelling Search in Dictionaries of Under-Described Languages Lacking Standard Orthographies
type: item
description: Non-standard orthographies are common in the world of under-described language documentation. Whether they are semi-conventionalised community spellings, orthographies partially adopted from missionary works, or hastily transcribed texts representing as-yet uncertain phonologies, there is a need to be able to work through lexical data in a way which can accommodate and respond to such non-standard transcriptions. Here, a few options are considered, with a solution for fuzzy string matching based on attested variations is presented.
subject: Code Presentation
  topic: section
creator: Kellen Parker van Dam
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-05-27
publication date: 2024-05-27
starting page: 35
ending page: 46
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.1.5

Representing the Database of Semantic Shifts by Zalizniak et al. from 2024 in Cross-Linguistic Data Formats
type: item
description: In this brief study, we show how the Database of Semantic Shifts, a large resource on semantic change and semantic motivation, can be represented in Cross-Linguistic Data Formats. The representation allows for a convenient quantitative analysis of the numerous annotations on semantic change and semantic motivation and for the integration of the database with additional resources on semantic change and semantic motivation that have been compiled independently in the last years.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: CLDF dataset
  topic: keywords
subject: concept mapping
  topic: keywords
subject: Database of Semantic Shifts
  topic: keywords
subject: semantic shifts
  topic: keywords
creator: Katja Bocklage
creator: Anna Di Natale
creator: Annika Tjuka
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-04-24
publication date: 2024-04-24
starting page: 25
ending page: 35
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.1.4

An Extended Concept List of Vietnamese
type: item
description: As part of our ongoing endeavour to expand the possible mappings in Concepticon, I introduce an extended concept list of Vietnamese based on the Intercontinental Dictionary Series (IDS). The list includes elicitation glosses for 1,310 concepts that can be used as a reference to add more data or for comparative analyses. Here, I present the creation of the list and its content.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: concept list
  topic: keywords
subject: Concepticon
  topic: keywords
subject: Vietnamese
  topic: keywords
creator: Annika Tjuka
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2024-06-19
publication date: 2024-06-19
starting page: 47
ending page: 49
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2024.1.6

Parsing IPA Transcriptions with CLTS
type: item
description: The Cross-Linguistic Transcription Systems (CLTS, https://clts.clld.org) project serves as a reference catalogue for speech sounds. At the core of the project is a generative method that parses existing IPA transcriptions (or transcriptions in other supported transcription systems) and checks if they conform to the principles and components laid out in the reference catalogue. As a result, Cross-Linguistic Transcription Systems is much more than a simple list of possible speech sounds transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet, but a system that allows to generate possible speech sounds and to check if sounds provided in various transcription systems contain problems. This study gives a short overview on the basic ideas that lead to the creation of the database and the parsing method and provides some examples showing how it can be employed in practice.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: CLTS
  topic: keywords
subject: IPA
  topic: keywords
subject: phonetic transcription
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2023-11-20
publication date: 2023-11-20
starting page: 87
ending page: 92
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2023.2.5

Retrieving and Analyzing Taste Colexifications from Lexibank
type: item
description: Colexifications have enjoyed a considerable amount of popularity in the recent years. However, there are still many semantic domains, where not much research on colexification patterns has been carried out so far. Here we show, how the recently published Lexibank repository can be queried to yield colexification data on taste colexifications which can in turn be easily plotted on geographic maps.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: colexification
  topic: keywords
subject: taste terms
  topic: keywords
subject: Lexibank
  topic: keywords
subject: R
  topic: keywords
subject: SQLite
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
creator: Olena Shcherbakova
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2023-10-30
publication date: 2023-10-30
starting page: 73
ending page: 86
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2023.2.4

Five Recommendations for Creating Spreadsheets
type: item
description: Through the rapid increase in digital data, the use of tabular formats for data has also increased notably. However, the reusability of data is still an issue due to the lack of transparency in the presentation of data in spreadsheets. In our work with the Concepticon, we sometimes encounter spreadsheets provided by researchers that contain information not transparent to an external audience. Therefore, I offer guidelines on how to format tables with data and provide five concrete recommendations.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: tabular data
  topic: keywords
subject: recommendations
  topic: keywords
subject: data curation
  topic: keywords
creator: Mathilda van Zantwijk
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2023-12-06
publication date: 2023-12-06
starting page: 93
ending page: 96
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2023.2.6

Sequence Manipulation with Orthography Profiles in JavaScript
type: item
description: Orthography profiles allow for the explicit simultaneous segmentation and conversion of sequences from one orthography to another. They play a crucial role in the standardization workflows developed as part of the Cross-Linguistic Data Formats initiative, where they are used to convert original orthographies used for language documentation to a strict version of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Given that the basic algorithm by which orthography profiles can be used to segment and convert sequences across orthographies is very straightforward, it can be easily implemented in JavaScript.
subject: Code Presentation
  topic: section
subject: orthography profile
  topic: keywords
subject: JavaScript
  topic: keywords
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2023-09-27
publication date: 2023-09-27
starting page: 65
ending page: 72
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2023.2.3

Creating a Standardized Comparative Wordlist of Newari Varieties
type: item
description: Newari is one of the few ancient Sino-Tibetan languages attested in written texts. Since previous studies on the phylogeny of Sino-Tibetan did not take Newari data into account, we felt it is important to close this gap by providing an up-to-date comparative wordlist of Newari varieties. This wordlist has now been finalized in a first version that has additionally been standardized following the recommendations of the Cross-Linguistic Data Formats initiative.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
subject: Newari
  topic: keywords
subject: CLDF Wordlist
  topic: keywords
subject: Cross-Linguistic Data Formats
  topic: keywords
creator: Zhenyang Liu
creator: Guillaume Jacques
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2023-07-26
publication date: 2023-07-26
starting page: 53
ending page: 58
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2023.2.1

Creating a CLDF Wordlist from Heath et al.’s Dogon Comparative Wordlist
type: item
description: The Dogon and Bangime Linguistics project (https://dogonlanguages.org) offers a large comparative spreadsheet in which translational equivalents for a huge number of concepts are translated into various Dogon languages. Due to its enormous size, no attempts have been made so far to integrate the spreadsheet with the lexical resources that were compiled as part of the CLDF initiative in order to populate the Lexibank repository. Here, we report a first attempt to circumvent the problems resulting from the size of the spreadsheet by convert not all but parts of the spreadsheet to CLDF Wordlist standards, which allows us to integrate parts of the data with other resources in Lexibank.
subject: Data Note
  topic: section
creator: Abbie Hantgan
creator: Johann-Mattis List
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2023-08-16
publication date: 2023-08-16
starting page: 59
ending page: 63
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2023.2.2

How to Organize Literature and Notes in Zotero (How to do X in Linguistics 13)
type: item
description: Reading, summarizing, and citing literature is an essential part of every student and researcher’s life. While there are many books and workshops on academic writing, there is less information on how to efficiently organize literature. For this reason, I offer an overview of how to organize literature and notes in Zotero. Specifically, I illustrate some of my own workflows for organizing the literature for my dissertation. I also discuss general features of Zotero. The interested reader who wants to learn more will benefit from the related links.
subject: Tutorial
  topic: section
subject: Zotero
  topic: keywords
subject: todo list
  topic: keywords
subject: organization
  topic: keywords
subject: tutorial
  topic: keywords
creator: Annika Tjuka
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Copyright remains with the author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2023-03-06
publication date: 2023-03-06
starting page: 23
ending page: 28
doi: 10.15475/calcip.2023.1.3