Text as Data

Introduction

Text analytics are a collection of computer methods that use semantic and numerical processing to convert collections of text into identified components that carry meaning and function and can be manipulated quantitatively. Meaning assignment is a semantic process that leads to greater understanding of the text. Numerical manipulation leads to a range of data summarization approaches that typically reduce complexity, capture multiple relationships, and highlight tendencies. Text analytics incorporates semantic and numerical text processing in a synergistic process that leads to greater understanding of various collections of text.

In this treatment we also touch on speech applications so we can see how spoken words, like written words, can be transformed into representations that can be manipulated and summarized quantitatively.

Chapter 1 expands our definition of text analytics and provides some background on the development of written language and systems of writing that are used to capture and communicate meaning.

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the end-to-end process of text analytics. A generic template is described that can enhance our understanding of the various aspects of text analytics and that can also serve as an organizing framework for discussing text analytics. These processes are further described in Chapter 3.

Linguistic processing and associated forms of document characterization are discussed in Chapter 4. Linguistic processing is the front-end ...