Testing search engine frequencies: Patterns of inconsistency

Jinseung Eu

doi:10.1515/CLLT.2008.008

Article

Testing search engine frequencies: Patterns of inconsistency

Jinseung Eu

Published/Copyright: December 9, 2008

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Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory

From the journal Volume 4 Issue 2

Abstract

This article addresses the problem of the inconsistency of the frequencies reported by the commercial search engines Google and Yahoo, assessing their reliability for academic use and seeking ways to use them more safely for language research and learning. The main part of the article is the presentation of three tests on the self-consistency and relational consistency of search engine frequencies and their results showing some important patterns. It is found that despite occasional frequency shifts of large magnitude, the engines (especially Yahoo) generally maintain a reasonable degree of self-consistency. However, some of the Google frequencies were apparently incorrect as indicated by their relational inconsistency. The tests are preceded by an overview of search engine uses and problems and a discussion of ‘query cache’, which is an essential component of the frequency mechanism providing a possible explanation of search engine behaviors. In conclusion, a search strategy and ways of carrying this work further to develop a model of search engine use are proposed.

Keywords:: search engines; frequency; consistency; testing; language research; language learning

Published Online: 2008-12-09

Published in Print: 2008-November

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/CLLT.2008.008

Keywords for this article

search engines; frequency; consistency; testing; language research; language learning