A concordance A concordance is a gathering of passages that "concord" or agree. Usually it is a gathering of passages with a sought for word.
Concordances are a form of reading tool that go back to the Middle Ages. They are typically lists of words with their appearances. A concordance for the bible, for example, would have entries for all the content words of the bible in alphabetical order. Each entry would include information about where the word appears and some context. Searching for words on a computer now typically returns a concordance called a Key Word in Context (KWIC) with the sought word down the center and a few words of context on either side. Google returns a type of concordance when you search for a word with an example of the word in context for each page it recommends.
See the Wikipedia entry on Concordance (Publishing)Return to Glossary. or keyword in contextA concordance or keyword in context (KWIC) is usually represented as a list of occurrences of a word with some limited context shown (words to the left and words to the right).
Here is an example that shows the occurrences of the word "dream" in A Midsummer Night's Dream in TACTweb:
I.1/577.1 | Four nights will quickly dream away the time; | And
I.1/578.2 Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; | Brief as the
II.2/585.1 | Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here! | Lysander,
III.2/591.1 this derision | Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision, |
IV.1/593.1 as the fierce vexation of a dream. | But first I will
IV.1/594.2 to me | That yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think | The
IV.1/594.2 rare | vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to
IV.1/594.2 the wit of man to | say what dream it was: man is but an
IV.1/594.2 he go | about to expound this dream. Methought I was--there
IV.1/594.2 his heart to report, what my dream | was. I will get Peter
IV.1/594.2 to write a ballad of | this dream: it shall be called
IV.1/594.2 it shall be called Bottom's dream, | because it hath no
V.1/599.1 | Following darkness like a dream, | Now are frolic: not a
V.1/599.2 theme, | No more yielding but a dream, | Gentles, do not
See also the definition at Wikipedia.
Return to Glossary. (KWICA concordance or keyword in context (KWIC) is usually represented as a list of occurrences of a word with some limited context shown (words to the left and words to the right).
Here is an example that shows the occurrences of the word "dream" in A Midsummer Night's Dream in TACTweb:
I.1/577.1 | Four nights will quickly dream away the time; | And
I.1/578.2 Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; | Brief as the
II.2/585.1 | Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here! | Lysander,
III.2/591.1 this derision | Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision, |
IV.1/593.1 as the fierce vexation of a dream. | But first I will
IV.1/594.2 to me | That yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think | The
IV.1/594.2 rare | vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to
IV.1/594.2 the wit of man to | say what dream it was: man is but an
IV.1/594.2 he go | about to expound this dream. Methought I was--there
IV.1/594.2 his heart to report, what my dream | was. I will get Peter
IV.1/594.2 to write a ballad of | this dream: it shall be called
IV.1/594.2 it shall be called Bottom's dream, | because it hath no
V.1/599.1 | Following darkness like a dream, | Now are frolic: not a
V.1/599.2 theme, | No more yielding but a dream, | Gentles, do not
See also the definition at Wikipedia.
Return to Glossary.) is usually represented as a list of occurrences of a word with some limited contextIn text analysis, context refers to the text surrounding a string of characters, which may be as short as a word or as long as a paragraph.
Context is particularly important when generating a concordance for a string.
Return to Glossary. shown (words to the left and words to the right).
Here is an example that shows the occurrences of the word "dream" in A Midsummer Night's Dream in TACTweb:
I.1/577.1 | Four nights will quickly dream away the time; | And
I.1/578.2 Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; | Brief as the
II.2/585.1 | Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here! | Lysander,
III.2/591.1 this derision | Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision, |
IV.1/593.1 as the fierce vexation of a dream. | But first I will
IV.1/594.2 to me | That yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think | The
IV.1/594.2 rare | vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to
IV.1/594.2 the wit of man to | say what dream it was: man is but an
IV.1/594.2 he go | about to expound this dream. Methought I was--there
IV.1/594.2 his heart to report, what my dream | was. I will get Peter
IV.1/594.2 to write a ballad of | this dream: it shall be called
IV.1/594.2 it shall be called Bottom's dream, | because it hath no
V.1/599.1 | Following darkness like a dream, | Now are frolic: not a
V.1/599.2 theme, | No more yielding but a dream, | Gentles, do not