analysis		AND WHAT ELSE ?
Dictionaries
ELMO INTERNATIONAL creates 2 different dictionaries : 1 Basic dictionary, created from a unit, ie: a text or set of texts. There are 3 types of word filing : alphabetical lenght wise frequency wise The words from a series of texts already read in class, are shown under listings from which various types of working-sessions can be designed. 2 Compared dictionary from 2 blocks, each of which is made of one or several texts. The 3 kinds of filing can be done. As basic dictionary, it allows to find lists of words from different texts. The vocabulary is easy to compare as the dictionary displays the origin of each word.		Decontextualising amounts to go from a text with a meaning to a list of the words it is composed of, so that these words context free have their own meaning. Decontextualising plays an important part in the discovery of new words. Their meaning has been discovered thanks to the known words that are close by each new words must be taken from context and be studied separately. Later on it will be recognized whatever the context is ; it becomes one of the words on which the reader relies to build the meaning of the sentence, and infer the meaning of still unknown words.
Occurences
The occurences of a word are all the situations (sentences or groups of words) in which it is supposed to be found. ELMO INTERNATIONAL can locate any word in any text or set of texts. This word is displayed in the sentence or the group of words coming together with it in the text, for example for the word "garden" : 1 in a sentence : My father's // garden // is full of brambles. I went down to my // garden // to pick up rosemary. Here the play ground is really a // garden // ! 2 within one line (2 words before, 3 words afterwards) : father's // garden // is full of. to my // garden // to pick up a real // garden // ! There is a One can look for : - the occurences of a word one enters. - the occurences of all the words in a list made from a dictionary.		Re-contextualisation When a new word is met, it is always in a definite context. It has to be encountered several times, in different sentences, various texts for the diversity of its meanings and uses to be understood. Thanks to the search for occurences, ELMO INTERNATIONAL enables to locate the various uses of a word in a set of texts. To re-contextualise is not to limit a word to a context, which would restrict its meaning and use : on the contrary, it is to show it in various contexts giving the students a notion of how varied its uses are. So it is very good to look for a word in its kernel form, indicating only : "incomplete for" if you look for "FRIEND", the software will give you : "FRIENDLY", "FRIENDS" or "FRIENDSHIP". Re-contextualise aims at giving each word various contexts according to its different meaning and uses so as to insert it into a semantic field and not to limit it to a single meaning. Thus, its own identity will be set on, provided given by various contexts but free from a context.
Counting
You may need to count the number of words and sentences in a text or set of texts. The software needs only knowing the text : it writes immediately the number of words and sentences included. The ratio number of words/number of sentences gives the average number of words per sentence, indicating how hard the text is : generally speaking, long sentences include subordinate clauses, passages between commas...		The word count changes the text into coded data turning it into an ordinary subject for analysis : at once the students cast a critical look at the texts. Being used to consider not only the text itself, but its characteristics, they behave like experienced readers and not beginners. Like all analysis activities, counting words and sentences is intended to introduce students to the written language system. To understand it, you must be aware that a text may have another interest besides its own content : its pattern, its structure, its functioning which is also that of written language.
To handle words from a dictionary, to search for the different contexts in which they can be used, to count them up while knowing the significance of these numbers, is to be aware that writing is a tool whose rules must be known to be handle, at ease and on every occasion.
AND WHAT ELSE ?