ACTIV-ES: a novel Spanish-language corpus for linguistic and cultural comparisons between communities of the Hispanic world

FAIN: HD-51432-11

Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC 27109-6000)
Jerid Cole Francom (Project Director: March 2011 to August 2013)

The planning and development of a preliminary Spanish-language corpus that will draw from three communities in Spain, Mexico, and Argentina.

This proposal requests Level 1 funding to develop a novel Spanish-language corpus, ACTIV-ES. This electronic resource will be the first to compile the language of common, everyday life for three linguistically, culturally, and geographically distinct communities— Spain, Mexico, and Argentina. It will provide scholars, instructors, students, and other interested parties with a unique perspective, enabling for the first time a rich cross-linguistic and cross-cultural analysis of current patterns and themes in the Hispanic world. A series of planning sessions among experts in linguistics, pedagogy, computer science, and psychology will guide the technical and theoretical steps to optimize ACTIV-ES for applications in second-language pedagogy and enable heretofore impossible contemporary humanistic understanding. Insights gained from the project will inform a Level 2 proposal aimed at adding size, attributes, and a web interface to enable flexible public and scholarly access to the corpus.

Media Coverage

NEH awards Francom’s language study (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Kimberly McGrath
Publication: Inside WFU
Date: 10/19/2011
Abstract: Assistant Professor of Spanish and Linguistics Jerid Francom has been awarded $25,000 by The National Endowment for the Humanities to study Spanish language use and cultural trends. Francom will spend the spring semester traveling to Spain, Mexico and Argentina collecting data on word usage in these countries and pairing the results with in-field psychological testing.
URL: http://inside.wfu.edu/2011/10/neh-awards-francoms-language-study/

Ready, set, speak — Spanish Film subtitles may be key to localizing language prep (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Kim McGrath
Publication: Wake Forest University News
Date: 1/31/2013
Abstract: With funding from The National Endowment for the Humanities, Francom has been using language from film to learn more about how conversational Spanish is spoken in three Spanish-speaking countries — Argentina, Mexico and Spain — collecting data on word usage that may someday change the way language courses are taught.
URL: http://news.wfu.edu/2013/01/31/ready-set-speak-spanish/