Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated?: A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform

Giuseppe Samo; Yu Zhao; Maria Teresa Guasti; Heini Utunen; Oliver Stucke; Gaya Gamhewage

doi:10.3233/SHTI210893

Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated? A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform

Giuseppe Samo, Yu Zhao, Maria Teresa Guasti, Heini Utunen, Oliver Stucke, Gaya Gamhewage

Communication Sciences

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Scientific › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

18 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The ability of assessing any type of linguistic complexity of any given contents could potentially improve knowledge reproduction, especially tacit knowledge which can be expensive during a pandemic. In this paper, we develop a simple and crosslinguistic model of complexity which considers formal accounts on the study of linguistic systems, but can be easily implemented by non-linguists' groups, e.g., communication experts and policymakers. To test our model, we conduct a study on a corpus extracted from the World Health Organization (WHO)'s emergency learning platform in 6 languages. Data extracted from open-access encyclopaedic entries act as control groups. The results show that the measurements adopted signal a trend for a minimization of complexity and can be exploited as features for (automatic) text classification.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health
Editors	John Mantas, Arie Hasman, Mowafa S. Househ, Parisis Gallos, Emmanouil Zoulias, Joseph Liaskos
Publisher	IOS Press
Pages	196-199
Number of pages	4
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-64368-251-8
ISBN (Print)	978-1-64368-250-1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI210893
Publication status	Published - 2022
Publication type	A4 Article in conference proceedings
Event	International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare - Online, Athens, Greece Duration: 16 Oct 2021 → 17 Oct 2021 Conference number: 19

Publication series

Name	Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
Volume	289
ISSN (Print)	0926-9630
ISSN (Electronic)	1879-8365

Conference

Conference	International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare
Abbreviated title	ICIMTH 2021
Country/Territory	Greece
City	Athens
Period	16/10/21 → 17/10/21

Keywords

Language
Linguistics
Multilingualism
Pandemics
World Health Organization

Publication forum classification

Publication forum level 1

Access to Document

10.3233/SHTI210893Licence: CC BY-NC

Could Linguistic ComplexityFinal published version, 173 KBLicence: CC BY-NC

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202208046221Licence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

Samo, G., Zhao, Y., Guasti, M. T., Utunen, H., Stucke, O., & Gamhewage, G. (2022). Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated? A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform. In J. Mantas, A. Hasman, M. S. Househ, P. Gallos, E. Zoulias, & J. Liaskos (Eds.), Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health (pp. 196-199). (Studies in Health Technology and Informatics; Vol. 289). IOS Press. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI210893

Samo, Giuseppe ; Zhao, Yu ; Guasti, Maria Teresa et al. / Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated? A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform. Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health. editor / John Mantas ; Arie Hasman ; Mowafa S. Househ ; Parisis Gallos ; Emmanouil Zoulias ; Joseph Liaskos. IOS Press, 2022. pp. 196-199 (Studies in Health Technology and Informatics).

@inproceedings{42785db6cad4450ab3b17260584e0caa,

title = "Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated?: A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform",

abstract = "The ability of assessing any type of linguistic complexity of any given contents could potentially improve knowledge reproduction, especially tacit knowledge which can be expensive during a pandemic. In this paper, we develop a simple and crosslinguistic model of complexity which considers formal accounts on the study of linguistic systems, but can be easily implemented by non-linguists' groups, e.g., communication experts and policymakers. To test our model, we conduct a study on a corpus extracted from the World Health Organization (WHO)'s emergency learning platform in 6 languages. Data extracted from open-access encyclopaedic entries act as control groups. The results show that the measurements adopted signal a trend for a minimization of complexity and can be exploited as features for (automatic) text classification.",

keywords = "Language, Linguistics, Multilingualism, Pandemics, World Health Organization",

author = "Giuseppe Samo and Yu Zhao and Guasti, {Maria Teresa} and Heini Utunen and Oliver Stucke and Gaya Gamhewage",

note = "JUFOID=67818; International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare, ICIMTH 2021 ; Conference date: 16-10-2021 Through 17-10-2021",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.3233/SHTI210893",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-1-64368-250-1",

series = "Studies in Health Technology and Informatics",

publisher = "IOS Press",

pages = "196--199",

editor = "John Mantas and Arie Hasman and Househ, { Mowafa S.} and Parisis Gallos and Emmanouil Zoulias and Joseph Liaskos",

booktitle = "Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health",

address = "Netherlands",

}

Samo, G, Zhao, Y, Guasti, MT, Utunen, H, Stucke, O & Gamhewage, G 2022, Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated? A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform. in J Mantas, A Hasman, MS Househ, P Gallos, E Zoulias & J Liaskos (eds), Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, vol. 289, IOS Press, pp. 196-199, International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare, Athens, Greece, 16/10/21. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI210893

Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated? A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform. / Samo, Giuseppe; Zhao, Yu; Guasti, Maria Teresa et al.
Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health. ed. / John Mantas; Arie Hasman; Mowafa S. Househ; Parisis Gallos; Emmanouil Zoulias; Joseph Liaskos. IOS Press, 2022. p. 196-199 (Studies in Health Technology and Informatics; Vol. 289).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Scientific › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated?

T2 - International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare

AU - Samo, Giuseppe

AU - Zhao, Yu

AU - Guasti, Maria Teresa

AU - Utunen, Heini

AU - Stucke, Oliver

AU - Gamhewage, Gaya

N1 - Conference code: 19

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - The ability of assessing any type of linguistic complexity of any given contents could potentially improve knowledge reproduction, especially tacit knowledge which can be expensive during a pandemic. In this paper, we develop a simple and crosslinguistic model of complexity which considers formal accounts on the study of linguistic systems, but can be easily implemented by non-linguists' groups, e.g., communication experts and policymakers. To test our model, we conduct a study on a corpus extracted from the World Health Organization (WHO)'s emergency learning platform in 6 languages. Data extracted from open-access encyclopaedic entries act as control groups. The results show that the measurements adopted signal a trend for a minimization of complexity and can be exploited as features for (automatic) text classification.

AB - The ability of assessing any type of linguistic complexity of any given contents could potentially improve knowledge reproduction, especially tacit knowledge which can be expensive during a pandemic. In this paper, we develop a simple and crosslinguistic model of complexity which considers formal accounts on the study of linguistic systems, but can be easily implemented by non-linguists' groups, e.g., communication experts and policymakers. To test our model, we conduct a study on a corpus extracted from the World Health Organization (WHO)'s emergency learning platform in 6 languages. Data extracted from open-access encyclopaedic entries act as control groups. The results show that the measurements adopted signal a trend for a minimization of complexity and can be exploited as features for (automatic) text classification.

KW - Language

KW - Linguistics

KW - Multilingualism

KW - Pandemics

KW - World Health Organization

U2 - 10.3233/SHTI210893

DO - 10.3233/SHTI210893

M3 - Conference contribution

C2 - 35062126

SN - 978-1-64368-250-1

T3 - Studies in Health Technology and Informatics

SP - 196

EP - 199

BT - Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health

A2 - Mantas, John

A2 - Hasman, Arie

A2 - Househ, Mowafa S.

A2 - Gallos, Parisis

A2 - Zoulias, Emmanouil

A2 - Liaskos, Joseph

PB - IOS Press

Y2 - 16 October 2021 through 17 October 2021

ER -

Samo G, Zhao Y, Guasti MT, Utunen H, Stucke O, Gamhewage G. Could Linguistic Complexity Be Automatically Evaluated? A Multilingual Study on WHO's Emergency Learning Platform. In Mantas J, Hasman A, Househ MS, Gallos P, Zoulias E, Liaskos J, editors, Informatics and Technology in Clinical Care and Public Health. IOS Press. 2022. p. 196-199. (Studies in Health Technology and Informatics). doi: 10.3233/SHTI210893