GerManC: A historical corpus of German texts, 1650-1800

UKDA study number:7021

Principal Investigator

Durrell, M.
University of Manchester. School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures

Sponsor

Economic and Social Research Council

Distributed by

UK Data Archive, University of Essex, Colchester.

July 2012

Bibliographic Citation

All works which use or refer to these materials should acknowledge these sources by means of bibliographic citation. To ensure that such source attributions are captured for bibliographic indexes, citations must appear in footnotes or in the reference section of publications. The bibliographic citation for this data collection is:

Durrell, M., GerManC: A historical corpus of German texts, 1650-1800 [computer file]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive [distributor], July 2012. SN: 7021 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-7021-1

Acknowledgement

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Any publication, whether printed, electronic or broadcast, based wholly or in part on these materials should carry a statement that the original data creators, depositors or copyright holders, the funders of the Data Collections (if different) and the UK Data Archive bear no responsibility for their further analysis or interpretation.

Copyright:
Durrell, M., University of Manchester

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7021 . GerManC: A historical corpus of German texts, 1650-1800

Depositor:

Durrell, M. , University of Manchester. School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures

Principal Investigator:

Durrell, M. , University of Manchester. School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures

Sponsor:

Economic and Social Research Council
Grant Number: RES-062-23-1118

Abstract:

The aim of the project was to compile a representative computerized corpus of German for the period 1650-1800. This is the first such corpus of early modern German and it is intended as a primary research resource in a number of disciplines. Its structure deliberately parallels that of extant historical corpora of English in order to facilitate systematic comparative studies. The regional dimension which was an essential feature of the projects also provides information about the link between language and changes in the relative cultural and political areas within Germany.

Main Topics:

The corpus consists of a collection of 336 text samples of around 2000 words each from seven main text types attested at this time (drama, legal texts, newspapers, narrative prose, sermons, scholarly writing in the humanities and scientific/medical texts) taken equally from the three sub periods of fifty years into which the period 1650-1800 was divided and from the five major regions of the German-speaking lands (North, West Central, East Central, South-West, South-East). These parameters were established during the compilation of the pilot project and shown to achieve the desired objectives. The finished corpus contains roughly 800000 words and is intended as a research resource for a number of language-based disciplines, including the growing discipline of historical sociolinguistics.

Coverage:

Time Period Covered: 01 January 1650 - 01 January 1800
Dates of Fieldwork: 01 March 2006 - 31 August 2011
Country: German-speaking Central Europe
Spatial Units: No spatial unit
Observation Units: Text units (documents/chapters/words)
Kind of Data: Textual data

Universe Sampled:

Location of Units of Observation: National
Population: 336 German-language texts from the period 1650-1800

Methodology:

Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: Quota sample
Method of Data Collection: Transcription of existing materials; Compilation or synthesis of existing material
Data Sources: Transcription from original sources, see study guide
Control Operations: None
Weighting: No weighting used

Language(s) of Written Materials:

Study Description: German
Study Documentation: English

Access:

Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Available to all users based in HE/FE institutions, for not-for-profit educational and research purposes only.
Availability: History Data Service, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: hds@essex.ac.uk

Date of First Release:

31 July 2012

Copyright:

Durrell, M., University of Manchester

File last updated:

13 November 2012