6-816msg1.txt

运用贝叶斯网编的一个识别垃圾邮件的程序

Subject: summary : half a day

dear reader , many thanks to all respondent ( 51 ) who send reply to my query about time phrase and native-speaker judgment . there be too many reply to acknowledge individually . many of you ask for a summary , so here go . # # = strongly prefer , # = good , ? = awkward , x = bid , yuck the figure follow each phrase give the number of vote cast in each category . they do n't all add up to 51 because some respondent ( rs ) express only their first preference . # # # ? x 1 the family spend . . . . . . . in ipswich . a . a day and a half 24 26 0 0 b . one and a half day 1 31 7 7 c . thirty-six hour 1 29 6 9 this make [ a ] a clear winner , but for many rs [ b ] and [ c ] be acceptable , too , depend on context . comment : a . imply enough time to socialize ; imply most of sunday spend in ipswich , leave at noon on monday b . imply ipswich be part of a series of visit ; imply an overnight stay ; part of a list ; stilt c . military / aeronautical ; whirlwind tour ; every moment pack with feverish activity ; at a conference - one and a half day spend on syntax ; work under time pressure ; airplane layover / waystation ; ok for negative experience ( flu / jail ) . ( i take it a ' layover ' be us for british 's topover ' , or maybe it 's a stopover with a visit to a girlfriend ? ) 2 . it take me . . . . . . . . to write the book . a . six month 16 34 0 0 b . a half-year 0 10 9 25 c . half a year 3 44 1 1 while there be a preference for [ a ] , [ c ] be not far behind . [ b ] be problematic . comment : a . feel shorter ; not as much effort require as ' half a year ' b . suggest an academic half-year ; yuck , unnatural ; sound non-native or british ( from american rs ) ; sound american ( from british rs ) ; ok in financial context - a half year be either the first or second half , not an arbitrary 6 month period c . sound longer than six month ; emphatic , with stress on ' year ' - 3 we ' ll be leave in . . . . . . . a . half an hour 6 44 0 0 b . a half-hour 2 24 10 11 [ a ] win . [ b ] splits people into two roughly equal camp . comment : b . sound formal ; awkward ; funny ; sound normal - we ' ll be leave inna haf our ( from now ) . 4 tom work for . . . . . . . . . in a lab a . a year and a half 13 37 1 0 b . one and a half year 0 32 6 7 c . eighteen month 3 39 6 0 while [ a ] win , the other two be n't so far behind . comment : a . least exact . b . more exact ; part of calculation ( eg for pension ) ; stilt ; fussy . c . most exact ; emphasize duration ; ok for child 's age upto two year ; ok in context where precision be require ; suggest tom be less involve in the job ; maybe a temporary job . using month for time greater than a year , and hour for time greater than a day make the time seem more rush ; half an inch be ok but not half a foot , but half a yard be ok if bie cloth even though we do n't normally speak of half a yard . the overall impression that i get be that context and pragmatic consideration determine which lexical item will be acceptable in any give slot , and even then there be considerably more tolerance for some expression than i would have think possible / probable . three rs say all eleven phrase be 100 % ok . i have n't give detail of rs ' background / nationality etc , since not all rs give me detail . however , about three-quarter of reply come from the usa . i hope this have be of some interest . many thanks for your response . roger maylor dept of linguistic and english language university of durham , uk