A new corpus annotation framework for Latin diachronic lexical semantics

Abstract

We present a new corpus-based resource and methodology for the annotation of Latin lexical semantics, consisting of 2,399 annotated passages of 40 lemmas from the Latin diachronic corpus LatinISE. We also describe how the annotation was designed, analyse annotators’ styles, and present the preliminary results of a study on the lexical semantics and diachronic change of the 40 lemmas. We complement this analysis with a case study on semantic vagueness. As the availability of digital corpora of ancient languages increases, and as computational research develops new methods for large-scale analysis of diachronic lexical semantics, building lexical semantic annotation resources can shed new light on large-scale patterns in the semantic development of lexical items over time. We share recommendations for designing the annotation task that will hopefully help similar research on other less-resourced or historical languages.

Toward a Representation of Semantic Change in Linked Data

“…These terms are listed in Table 1 along with a gloss of an original pre-Christian sense and a subsequent Christian era one; in certain instances, a note provides additional details on the sense shift in question. The examples themselves are taken from McGillivray et al (2022) which presents a study on the manual annotation of these words and others in a Latin corpus. The changes in the meanings of the words listed in Table 1 are due either to the introduction of new concepts thanks to the influence of Christianity (see, e.g., potestas, scriptura, and uirtus) or shifts in already existing concepts as a result of other kinds of societal and cultural change (see, e.g., ciuitas, cohors, and consul).…”