StoryGrammar_Notes

Short description

There are several story grammar models from the 70-80s. Stein & Glenn's seems like the most influential from this period.

Secondary sources

Lang2003 (ch12 of Narrative Intelligence): pp.199-200 on background; example of story grammar used in AI research

Purpose

Variable from the start.

  • Study narrative structure itself
  • Study narrative structure in order to research cognitive mechanisms (linguistic comprehension), cognitive development.
  • Language acquisition

Story grammar models were adapted to serve purposes other than those originally considered:

  • Evaluation of narrative skill as diagnostic tool (close to original purpose)
  • Refinement of AI language models

Coding schema

Coding: Variable and dependent on the purpose.

  • For evaluation of skill = use of a score rubric, giving points based on presence of elements from the model.
  • For research = transcription of data, label speech units (utterances or other) with categories from the model. Coding procedure & schema are incompletely described by contemporary standards.
  • In later research based on Story Grammar, labeling an idiosyncratic set of categories drawn from multiple models seems common.

Later research

Works based on a synthesis:
Abdalla, Mahfoudhi Alhudhainah 2020 - Kuwaiti Arabic / Monolingual research, models and terms, cultural variation
Tappe & Hara 2013 _ Chichewa / Background, multilingual research, models and terms

Cites Stein & Glenn, unclear if based on synthesis:
Soodla & Kikas 2010 - Estonian / Monolingual research

(Forgot to note where I mined this from)

Late 70s story grammar models:
Mandler & Johnson 1977
Rumelhart 1975
Stein & Glenn 1979
Thorndyke 1977
(etc.?)

90s synthesis models:
Trabasso & al 1992
Anderson & Evans 1996

(Mined from gagarina et al 2019: 192-193)
Primary sources (70s-80s):

  • Labov 1972
  • Labov & Waletzky 1967
  • Mandler & Johnson 1977
  • Peterson & McCabe 1983
  • Stein & Glenn 1979
  • Stein & Policastro 1984

Synthesis with GAO:

  • Stein & Policastro 1984
  • Trabasso & Nickes 1992
  • Trabasso et al 1992
  • Westby 2012

potential todo
? list of other story grammar models
? find research based on story grammar other than Stein & Glenn