Cognitive Modelling of Information Density for Discourse Relations (B02)

• Subject Area: Applied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics ; General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
• Term: since 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 232722074

B2 investigates the marking of coherence relations cross-linguistically – including also an under-researched language, Nigerian Pidgin, which is currently in a very interesting stage of language evolution. We plan to focus on (i) cross-linguistic differences in the processing of discourse connectives, and to what extent these differences may be driven by information-theoretic principles; (ii) how differences in linearization between languages affect the distribution of information across the relational arguments; and (iii) differences in the degree of specificity and function of discourse markers. We will also build discourse resources and classifiers for a larger variety of languages.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1102: Information Density and Linguistic Encoding
• Applicant Institution: Universität des Saarlandes
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Vera Demberg; Dr. Merel Scholman