Olsen, K.A.; Williams, J.G.: Spelling and grammar checking using the Web as a text repository (2004)
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- Abstract
- Natural languages are both complex and dynamic. They are in part formalized through dictionaries and grammar. Dictionaries attempt to provide definitions and examples of various usages for all the words in a language. Grammar, on the other hand, is the system of rules that defines the structure of a language and is concerned with the correct use and application of the language in speaking or writing. The fact that these two mechanisms lag behind the language as currently used is not a serious problem for those living in a language culture and talking their native language. However, the correct choice of words, expressions, and word relationships is much more difficult when speaking or writing in a foreign language. The basics of the grammar of a language may have been learned in school decades ago, and even then there were always several choices for the correct expression for an idea, fact, opinion, or emotion. Although many different parts of speech and their relationships can make for difficult language decisions, prepositions tend to be problematic for nonnative speakers of English, and, in reality, prepositions are a major problem in most languages. Does a speaker or writer say "in the West Coast" or "on the West Coast," or perhaps "at the West Coast"? In Norwegian, we are "in" a city, but "at" a place. But the distinction between cities and places is vague. To be absolutely correct, one really has to learn the right preposition for every single place. A simplistic way of resolving these language issues is to ask a native speaker. But even native speakers may disagree about the right choice of words. If there is disagreement, then one will have to ask more than one native speaker, treat his/her response as a vote for a particular choice, and perhaps choose the majority choice as the best possible alternative. In real life, such a procedure may be impossible or impractical, but in the electronic world, as we shall see, this is quite easy to achieve. Using the vast text repository of the Web, we may get a significant voting base for even the most detailed and distinct phrases. We shall start by introducing a set of examples to present our idea of using the text repository an the Web to aid in making the best word selection, especially for the use of prepositions. Then we will present a more general discussion of the possibilities and limitations of using the Web as an aid for correct writing.
