Course:COGS200/2017W1/NGramAssignment/MW98

Compare words

<iframe name="ngram_chart" src="https://books.google.com/ngrams/interactive_chart?content=computer%2C+machine&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ccomputer%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cmachine%3B%2Cc0" width=900 height=500 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe>

computer,machine

The usage of 'machine' has a steady uprising throughout the 19th century. Both of the peaks for this word align with both of the World Wars. Presumably a driving factor for this usage was the sheer amount of technologies being developed during both of the wars. The term 'computer' only began during the second World War, where computation played an imperative role in cracking codes. Since the second World War, the usage of 'machine' has been on a decline, whereas 'computer' has been on a sharp uprise, peaking in the 80s.

<iframe name="ngram_chart" src="https://books.google.com/ngrams/interactive_chart?content=prostitute%2Csex+worker%2Chooker&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cprostitute%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csex%20worker%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Chooker%3B%2Cc0" width=900 height=500 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe>

prostitute,sex worker,hooker

I used these three words as I was curious if their usage reflected how sex workers have been viewed over time. It seems as though hooker, which is much more derogatory way of referring to a sex worker than a prostitute, has been used much less frequently than prostitute over time. However, the overarching term 'sex worker', only really started being used in the 1990s, presumably due to a rise in modern feminism and the push to normalize sex work as an acceptable career. I also found it curious that, looking at 'prostitute' alone, each time it's usage peaked was directly before either World War.

Wildcard search

<iframe name="ngram_chart" src="https://books.google.com/ngrams/interactive_chart?content=men+are+supposed+to+*&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2Cmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20%2A%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20be%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20have%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20act%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20possess%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20do%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20know%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20become%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20go%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20establish%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmen%20are%20supposed%20to%20enjoy%3B%2Cc0" width=900 height=500 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe>

men are supposed to *

Looking at this Ngram, the usage of the phrases "men are supposed to be" and "men are supposed to have" far outnumbers that of any other usage (on average over time). "Men are supposed to have" shows a steady decline over time, presumably due to the decline in the worth of a man being based on his property and his status over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. The usage of "men are supposed to be" varies wildly over time, however the amplitudes of the peaks (measured off of a hypothetical line of best fit) decreases steadily. I have to infer that what men are supposed to be would be discussed heavily during periods of turmoil and societal discrepancies and development, which would account for various peaks on the graph.

Inflection search

<iframe name="ngram_chart" src="https://books.google.com/ngrams/interactive_chart?content=women+are+strong_INF&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t3%3B%2Cwomen%20are%20strong_INF%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bwomen%20are%20strong%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bwomen%20are%20stronger%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bwomen%20are%20strongest%3B%2Cc0" width=900 height=500 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe>

women are strong_INF (I am aware that strong is neither a noun nor a verb, but I was interested in seeing the inflections of it nonetheless.)

Over time, it seems as though "women are strong" is used the most. The usage of "women are strongest" peaked in the 1870s. From looking at the time period, most of the literature using this phrase are either medical journals or passages from the Bible, perhaps works centred around describing the function of women. "Women are stronger" has a steady increase in usage over time, parallel to the Women's Rights Movement. However this phrase hits a low post World War 1 until the 1960s. "Women are strong" seems to vary in usage over time until the 1960s, when the phrase skyrockets. This could be due to a steady increase in women's leading roles in pop culture, government, and other aspects of society.

Search for a word using Part-of-Speech tags

<iframe name="ngram_chart" src="https://books.google.com/ngrams/interactive_chart?content=cool_*&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2Ccool_%2A%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bcool_ADJ%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bcool_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bcool_NOUN%3B%2Cc0" width=900 height=500 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe>

cool_*

From this Ngram, we can see that the usage of "cool" as both a verb and a noun has remained relatively constant over time. However, the usage of the word as an adjective has fluctuated a fair amount, with a reduction in usage in both the early 1800s and the 1960s. I have to wonder if the drop in frequency (as an adjective) is due to racial tensions in the 60s, as 'cool' was made popular by jazz circles in the 1930s.

Search for Parts of Speech (not a specific word)

<iframe name="ngram_chart" src="https://books.google.com/ngrams/interactive_chart?content=the+woman+*_VERB&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2Cthe%20woman%20%2A_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20was_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20is_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20had_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20said_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20has_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20should_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20would_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20may_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20taken_VERB%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bthe%20woman%20shall_VERB%3B%2Cc0" width=900 height=500 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe>

the woman *_VERB

While there is a lot going on in this graph, I notice a general trend in the popularity of using verbs that dictate the 'rules' and 'allowances' of women in the 19th century. As we enter the 20th century and move onwards through to the 21st, these verbs tend to describe more the state and the contribution of the woman. For instance, the most popular "the woman" phrase at the beginning of the 1800s (excluding 'is' and 'was', as these remain the most common over the whole range) was "the woman should", mandating what a woman is expected to do or be. We can compare this with "the woman said", a phrase putting much more worth on the contribution of the woman, which was the most popular phrase by the 2000s.