computer science

WordSmith (software)

WordSmith (software) is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand WordSmith (software) rather than just read about it. In short: WordSmith Tools is a software package primarily for linguists, in particular for work in the field of corpus linguistics. It is a collection of modules for searching patterns in a language.

Key takeaways

WordSmith (software) belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect WordSmith (software) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WordSmith (software) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WordSmith Tools is a software package primarily for linguists, in particular for work in the field of corpus linguistics. It is a collection of modules for searching patterns in a language. The software handles many languages.

Development and acquisition The program suite was developed by the British linguist Mike Scott at the University of Liverpool and released as version 1.0 in 1996. It was based on MicroConcord co-developed by Mike Scott and Tim Johns, published by Oxford University Press in 1993. Versions 1.0 through 4.0 were sold exclusively by Oxford University Press, the current version 8.0 and previous versions are now also distributed by Lexical Analysis Software Limited. The software runs under Windows. WordSmith is a download-only product which is registered by entering a code costing 50 pounds sterling for a single user license. However, WordSmith 4.0 can now be downloaded and used free.

Functionality and applications The core areas of the software package includes three modules:

Concord is used to create concordances, so all the hits from a search within a previously defined body text. WordList lists all the Words or on word forms that are included in the selected corpus and statistical data are different from the text corpus. KeyWord creates a list of all those words and word forms according to certain statistical criteria in the text corpus significantly occur rarely or frequently. Each of the modules offers a number of other features in relation to the text corpus or text being analysed. Thus, for example, collocation and dispersion plots are computed with a concordance search. In addition, there are a number of additional modules that are useful for the preparation, clean-up and format the text corpus. WordSmith Tools can be used in 80 different languages. WordSmith Tools is - along with several other software products similar in nature - an internationally popular program for the work based on corpus-linguistic methodology. It is used by investigators in assorted fields as can be seen in the list below of works using the software.

References

External links Software website Step-by-step Guide to WordSmith Tools 7.0 REVIEW OF MONOCONC PRO AND WORDSMITH TOOLS Archived 2013-10-11 at the Wayback Machine Language Learning & Technology Vol. 5, No. 3, May 2001, pp. 32–36

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WordSmith (software)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WordSmith (software) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to WordSmith (software) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about WordSmith (software) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of WordSmith (software)

In research: WordSmith (software) appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses WordSmith (software) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: WordSmith (software) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Corpus linguistics, Natural language processing toolkits, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WordSmith (software) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study WordSmith (software) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WordSmith (software) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain WordSmith (software) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WordSmith (software) in simple terms?

WordSmith Tools is a software package primarily for linguists, in particular for work in the field of corpus linguistics. It is a collection of modules for searching patterns in a language.

Why does WordSmith (software) matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study WordSmith (software)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on WordSmith (software).