forTEXT - digital research environment for collaborative text exploration

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Evelyn Gius, since 9/2020
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages ; German Literary and Cultural Studies (Modern German Literature)
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 440553997

The objective of forTEXT is to develop and provide to the research community a virtual platform focusing on two of the core heuristic activities of philological text exploration: collaborative text annotation and text analysis. forTEXT is conceptually based on the notion of ‚hermeneutic markup‘ (Piez 2010) and therefore aims to support these activities through a method which consciously acknowledges the hermeneutic practice of non- deterministic, discursive markup and exploration of textual meaning. In following this non- deterministic approach forTEXT responds to a key desideratum ignored by most of the digital tools and platforms hitherto developed for humanities text research. Apart from the practical aspect, developing methodological sensitivity for the specifics of discursive hermeneutic practices is also a strategic necessity: forTEXT’s conceptual compatibility with traditional hermeneutic practices aims to promote acceptance for digital humanities tools and services in the philologies, a well as in other text oriented humanities disciplines.The funding application for the first project phase of 36 months was evaluated positively and accepted in full by the DFG on 12.10.2016, in the context of the LIS (literature information system) funding line in place at that time. The current application pertains to the second project phase and a continuation of DFG-funding for a total of 24 months. The aims of this second period are mapped onto five distinct work packages (APs):- AP1-F: Implementation/integration of NLP- and ML-based automated annotation functionalities in CATMA (overflow from phase 1)- AP2-F: Collecting, describing and disseminating digital tools and methods for the study of English, French and other non-German texts and corporaAP3-F: Prototypical implementation of a manuscript-based DH workflow in co-operation with the independent editorial project „Dehmel digital“ (Prof. Julia Nantke, Universität Hamburg)- AP4-F: Continuation and extension of the forTEXT/CATMA-Social Media Strategy- AP5-F: Sustainable long-term contextualisation of forTEXT/CATMA (2022ff) in terms of the technological and strategic/institutional framework

• DFG Programme: Research data and software (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Jan Christoph Meister, until 8/2020