TY - JOUR

T1 - Exploring interdisciplinary relationships between linguistics and information retrieval from the 1960s to today

AU - Engerer, Volkmar Paul

PY - 2017/3/1

Y1 - 2017/3/1

N2 - This article explores how linguistics has influencedinformation retrieval (IR) and attempts to explain theimpact of linguistics through an analysis of internaldevelopments in information science generally, and IRin particular. It notes that information science/IR hasbeen evolving from a case science into a fully fledged,“disciplined”/disciplinary science. The article establishescorrespondences between linguistics and informationscience/IR using the three established IRparadigms—physical, cognitive, and computational—asa frame of reference. The current relationship betweeninformation science/IR and linguistics is elucidatedthrough discussion of some recent information sciencepublications dealing with linguistic topics and a noveltechnique, “keyword collocation analysis,” is introduced.Insights from interdisciplinarity research andcase theory are also discussed. It is demonstrated thatthe three stages of interdisciplinarity, namely multidisciplinarity,interdisciplinarity (in the narrow sense), andtransdisciplinarity, can be linked to different phases ofthe information science/IR-linguistics relationship andconnected to different ways of using linguistic theory ininformation science and IR.

AB - This article explores how linguistics has influencedinformation retrieval (IR) and attempts to explain theimpact of linguistics through an analysis of internaldevelopments in information science generally, and IRin particular. It notes that information science/IR hasbeen evolving from a case science into a fully fledged,“disciplined”/disciplinary science. The article establishescorrespondences between linguistics and informationscience/IR using the three established IRparadigms—physical, cognitive, and computational—asa frame of reference. The current relationship betweeninformation science/IR and linguistics is elucidatedthrough discussion of some recent information sciencepublications dealing with linguistic topics and a noveltechnique, “keyword collocation analysis,” is introduced.Insights from interdisciplinarity research andcase theory are also discussed. It is demonstrated thatthe three stages of interdisciplinarity, namely multidisciplinarity,interdisciplinarity (in the narrow sense), andtransdisciplinarity, can be linked to different phases ofthe information science/IR-linguistics relationship andconnected to different ways of using linguistic theory ininformation science and IR.

U2 - 10.1002/asi.23684

DO - 10.1002/asi.23684

M3 - Journal article

VL - 68

SP - 660

EP - 680

JO - American Society for Information Science and Technology. Journal

JF - American Society for Information Science and Technology. Journal

SN - 2330-1635

IS - 3

ER -