title: Utilizing lexical data from a Web-derived corpus to expand productive collocation knowledge

authors: Wu, Shaoqun

subjects: concordancing

abstract: Collocations are of great importance for second language learners, and a learner’s knowledge of them plays a key role in producing language fluently (Nation, 2001: 323). In this article we describe and evaluate an innovative system that uses a Web-derived corpus and digital library software to produce a vast concordance and present it in a way that helps students use collocations more effectively in their writing. Instead of live search we use an off-line corpus of short sequences of words, along with their frequencies. They are preprocessed, filtered, and organized into a searchable digital library collection containing 380 million five-word sequences drawn from a vocabulary of 145,000 words. Although the phrases are short, learners can browse more extended contexts because the system automatically locates sample sentences that contain them, either on the Web or in the British National Corpus. Two evaluations were conducted: an expert user tested the system to see if it could generate suitable alternatives for given text fragments, and students used it for a particular exercise. Both suggest that, even within the constraints of a limited study, the system could and did help students improve their writing.

text: Utilizing lexical data from a Web-derived corpus to expand productive collocation knowledge Collocations are of great importance for second language learners, and a learner’s knowledge of them plays a key role in producing language fluently (Nation, 2001: 323). In this article we describe and evaluate an innovative system that uses a Web-derived corpus and digital library software to produce a vast concordance and present it in a way that helps students use collocations more effectively in their writing. Instead of live search we use an off-line corpus of short sequences of words, along with their frequencies. They are preprocessed, filtered, and organized into a searchable digital library collection containing 380 million five-word sequences drawn from a vocabulary of 145,000 words. Although the phrases are short, learners can browse more extended contexts because the system automatically locates sample sentences that contain them, either on the Web or in the British National Corpus. Two evaluations were conducted: an expert user tested the system to see if it could generate suitable alternatives for given text fragments, and students used it for a particular exercise. Both suggest that, even within the constraints of a limited study, the system could and did help students improve their writing.

year: 2010

title: The political field and public relations : Competing discourses in New Zealand’s first MMP election

authors: Roper, Juliet

abstract: This thesis uses Norman Fairclough’s model of critical discourse analysis to analyse the campaign discourse of each of the five main political parties that contested the New Zealand general election in 1996. The parties were: The National Party, the New Zealand Labour Party, New Zealand First, Act and The Alliance. The election itself was of historic importance because it was the first to be held in New Zealand under an electoral system of proportional representation.

The theoretical framework of the thesis combines Bourdieu’s theory of the political field and Bobbio’s concept of the universe of political discourse. This framework facilitates an analysis of political campaign discourse within the context of a struggle for representative and symbolic power in the political field. Critical discourse analysis focuses on the campaign texts as a product of the social and discourse practices of the political professionals vying for that power. It underscores the ideological functions of language, as well as the role of communication professionals, in (re)constructing political discourse. The thesis also raises concerns about the professionalisation of discourse construction in the context of the public sphere.

Because of the introduction of proportional representation, competition within the political field was intensified. This fact, combined with an evident dissatisfaction with politics and politicians by voters in New Zealand civil society, resulted in a wider range of stances, based primarily upon ideological differences, being adopted than under the previous first-past-the-post system. Political parties were not, therefore, able to cluster in the neutral centre of the political field in line with international trends of campaign modernisation and the associated formation of catch-all parties.

Increased competition in the political field resulted in greater importance being placed on party identification and differentiation, as each party sought to discursively position itself as representative of a range of issues of concern in civil society. The ways in which the parties not only discursively positioned themselves in the political field but repositioned their opponents have practical significance for the fields of public relations, organisation communication and marketing. 

A post script to the thesis looks at the use made of World Wide Web sites by New Zealand political parties in 1996. It discusses their potential for the revitalisation of the public sphere. It also surmises that public relations practitioners and political marketers, when they realise the potential, will transform the sites in order to provide entertainment formats which target voters as consumers of political discourse.

text: The political field and public relations : Competing discourses in New Zealand’s first MMP election This thesis uses Norman Fairclough’s model of critical discourse analysis to analyse the campaign discourse of each of the five main political parties that contested the New Zealand general election in 1996. The parties were: The National Party, the New Zealand Labour Party, New Zealand First, Act and The Alliance. The election itself was of historic importance because it was the first to be held in New Zealand under an electoral system of proportional representation.

The theoretical framework of the thesis combines Bourdieu’s theory of the political field and Bobbio’s concept of the universe of political discourse. This framework facilitates an analysis of political campaign discourse within the context of a struggle for representative and symbolic power in the political field. Critical discourse analysis focuses on the campaign texts as a product of the social and discourse practices of the political professionals vying for that power. It underscores the ideological functions of language, as well as the role of communication professionals, in (re)constructing political discourse. The thesis also raises concerns about the professionalisation of discourse construction in the context of the public sphere.

Because of the introduction of proportional representation, competition within the political field was intensified. This fact, combined with an evident dissatisfaction with politics and politicians by voters in New Zealand civil society, resulted in a wider range of stances, based primarily upon ideological differences, being adopted than under the previous first-past-the-post system. Political parties were not, therefore, able to cluster in the neutral centre of the political field in line with international trends of campaign modernisation and the associated formation of catch-all parties.

Increased competition in the political field resulted in greater importance being placed on party identification and differentiation, as each party sought to discursively position itself as representative of a range of issues of concern in civil society. The ways in which the parties not only discursively positioned themselves in the political field but repositioned their opponents have practical significance for the fields of public relations, organisation communication and marketing. 

A post script to the thesis looks at the use made of World Wide Web sites by New Zealand political parties in 1996. It discusses their potential for the revitalisation of the public sphere. It also surmises that public relations practitioners and political marketers, when they realise the potential, will transform the sites in order to provide entertainment formats which target voters as consumers of political discourse.

year: 2000

title: Ethnicity and deliberate self-injury: A review of the literature

authors: Wilson, Cate

subjects: Maori

abstract: Deliberate self-injury is a significant social problem affecting youth in New Zealand. Rates of
hospitalisation for youth (aged 15 to 19) from deliberate self-injury approximate 225 per
100,000. It appears that the rates for Maori and women are significantly higher. From 1987 to
1993, an average of 488 Maori women per 100 000 population have been hospitalised each
year (Ministry of Health: Manatu Hauora, 1996). This paper draws upon both local and
international literature to examine factors underlying this ethnic disparity.
There is a wealth of literature examining risk factors underlying suicidal behaviour as a whole.
Deliberate self-injury is usually assumed to be an adjunct of youth suicide; prevention
strategies are conflated. This paper argues that this assumption is untenable, and in particular,
that prevention strategies designed for youth suicide are problematic in terms of deliberate selfinjury.
While prevention strategies are based upon studies that do not differentiate between
these groups, results will be compromised.

text: Ethnicity and deliberate self-injury: A review of the literature Deliberate self-injury is a significant social problem affecting youth in New Zealand. Rates of
hospitalisation for youth (aged 15 to 19) from deliberate self-injury approximate 225 per
100,000. It appears that the rates for Maori and women are significantly higher. From 1987 to
1993, an average of 488 Maori women per 100 000 population have been hospitalised each
year (Ministry of Health: Manatu Hauora, 1996). This paper draws upon both local and
international literature to examine factors underlying this ethnic disparity.
There is a wealth of literature examining risk factors underlying suicidal behaviour as a whole.
Deliberate self-injury is usually assumed to be an adjunct of youth suicide; prevention
strategies are conflated. This paper argues that this assumption is untenable, and in particular,
that prevention strategies designed for youth suicide are problematic in terms of deliberate selfinjury.
While prevention strategies are based upon studies that do not differentiate between
these groups, results will be compromised.

year: 1999