Data analysis software

For LAL students in immediate or imminent need of data analysis software for their research. This list is not exhaustive but reflects GLASA members' research into the most well-known or commonly mentioned software packages for academic and specifically linguistics research. If there is a software tool that you think belongs on this list, please let us know!

Quantitative

Many quantitative analysis packages commonly used in linguistics are available for free and have online manuals or user guides:

• Goldvarb (also available in the Multimedia Language Centre computer lab)

• R and Rbrul

Both SPSS and SAS are available in the York U Computing Commons labs (William Small or Accolade East)

Qualitative

Unfortunately, there are currently no qualitative analysis packages available through any of the campus computer labs accessible to LAL students.

NVivo:

• has a Mac version, but may be a better choice for Windows users.

• offers a reduced-price, time-limited licence for students with proof of student status

• offers a free trial (LAL students who enrol in the ISR NVivo seminar may want to start their free trial when the seminar begins)

MAXQDA:

• has a Windows version, but may be a better choice for Mac users.

• offers a reduced-price, time-limited license for students with proof of student status

• offers a free trial

Others

• Atlas.ti: generally similar functionality to NVivo and MAXQDA. Similar pricing as well. Which one is "best" is really a matter of personal preference! Available for Windows and Mac. Free trial and student pricing available.

• Quirkos: best for smaller projects. Marketed as more user-friendly (but with fewer features). Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Has a free trial, plus student pricing and licenses are permanent rather than time-limited.

• Dedoose: Cloud-based (good for collaboration; uses encryption, but might still be considered a security risk for ethics). Paid by the month - more expensive per year but less expensive than other programs if you only need it for a short time. A good option for MA students! Available for Windows and Mac; comes in a browser-based version or a desktop app (both require an internet connection). 30 days free + monthly subscription. No student pricing available .

Other

AntConc:

• available from https://www.laurenceanthony.net/software/antconc/

• a free, but versatile, tool for analyzing linguistic corpus data in .txt format

• concordances, collocations, N-grams, etc.

• can search text using basic search features or conduct more advanced searches using regular expressions (regex)

ELAN:

• available from https://tla.mpi.nl/tools/tla-tools/elan/

• a tool for transcribing and annotating (coding) audio and video

• really a must if you are doing transcription work! Makes playback easier and speeds up the transcription process.

Excel:

• Excel is not appropriate for all types of data or for all types of analyses

• However, it is a surprisingly powerful tool for organizing, manipulating, and analyzing some types of data (including both numerical and textual data), once you learn to use some of its intermediate and advanced features (formulae, macros, filters, conditional formatting, charts and graphs, etc.)

• Microsoft Office software is available in most computer labs; it is also available FREE to active York University students

Relevant journals

For more resources check out York Libraries Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Research Guide!