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Sabin Muntean

Sabin Muntean
Karlsruhe
Germany

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

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Post your top 5 N-grams here!

Hello TEDsters,

the N-grams are definitely a lot of fun and I have noticed that quite a few have already been posted in the talk's own thread. In order to avoid that thread becoming too confusing and in order to give this some structure I thought I'd start a conversation for you to post the N-grams you find most informative, interesting, funny etc.

I have "limited" the ammount to 5 in order to "force" you to only post the best. :)

Looking forward to some cool N-grams and even more than this to interesting discussions about the meaning hidden behind them.

Sincerely
Sabin

Related Talks:

What we learned from 5 million books

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Gord Groat 10+
- +1
Oct 4 2011: An unexpected sudden turn considering how accessible pornography is today.

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=sex%2Clove&year_start=1908&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
Lucy Sheldon
- 0
Oct 3 2011: Nice peak around 1970 and some worrying new trends, or just lots of broken stuff!
http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=cocaine%2Copium%2Cheroin%2Ccrack%2Chash%2Cmarijuana%2Camphetamine%2CLSD%2CMDMA&year_start=1700&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
- Debra Smith 100+
  - 0
  Oct 3 2011: A couple of these are confounded with other uses of the word but the graph sure is interesting.
matthew lenton
- +3
Oct 3 2011: Somehow this is rather beautiful:
http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=more%2Cmany%2Cless%2Cnone&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=1
Hal DuBois
- 0
Oct 3 2011: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=inflation%2C+unemployment&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3

Above, the "dual mandate" in English. Observe of difference in German:

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=inflation%2Cunemployment&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=8&smoothing=3
Nicola Stratford
- 0
Oct 3 2011: And this last - rape, convictions, feminism. Is it showing more rapes reported during the height of feminism, more perpertrated? Why fewer convictions during that time? Ah, the risks of this tool around assumptions of causation.

http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=rape%2Cconvictions%2Cfeminism&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
- Debra Smith 100+
  - 0
  Oct 3 2011: As the number of books about feminism increased there was a corresponding and proportional increase in the mention of a major issue for woman - rape. It then makes sense that there was a decrease in mention of conviction because women were asserting that there were insufficient convictions and talking about the cases that went unreported and unavenged.
Nicola Stratford
- 0
Oct 3 2011: Another that begs for explanation. Bigotry, politics: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=bigotry%2Cdemocracy&year_start=1600&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
Nicola Stratford
- +1
Oct 3 2011: Tried poverty, kindness with a range 1700 to 2000. Very interesting graph shape. Any historians who can explain it?

http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=poverty%2Ckindness&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3
Kristofer Björnson 10+
- +1
Oct 1 2011: Seems like Jesus became popular at the begining of the 19th century.

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=Jesus%2CChrist%2CChristian%2CGod&year_start=1500&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
cassandra johnson
- 0
Oct 1 2011: are any paranornal activities proven?
- Debra Smith 100+
  - 0
  Oct 1 2011: Cassandra, I do not understand what you are asking . Would you like help to create an Ngram with the concepts you have in mind? If so, let me know what you are interested in and I will help you make an Ngram.
Debra Smith 100+
- 0
Oct 1 2011: Given the state of the economy I thought I'd look at banks, bankers,banking, bankruptcy, and foreclosure:

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=banks%2Cbanking%2Cbanker%2Cbankrupt%2Cbankruptcy%2C+foreclosure&year_start=1600&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
Rodney Keene
- +1
Sep 30 2011: Something for the gamers.
Atari,Nintendo,Xbox,Sega,Playstation
http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Atari+2600%2CNintendo%2CXbox%2CSega%2CPlaystation&year_start=1975&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
One for the geeks. Tried Apple and Microsoft but Apple is to common a word.
Steve Jobs,Bill Gates
http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Steve+Jobs%2CBill+Gates&year_start=1960&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=2
Nicholas Thompson
- 0
Sep 28 2011: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=John+Lennon%2CPaul+McCartney%2C+Ringo+Star%2C+George+Harrison%2C+The+Beatles&year_start=1940&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=0

Poor Ringo.
Brad Blue
- +1
Sep 28 2011: The all powerful moustache:

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=moustache%2Cfashionable%2Cchivalrous%2Cesteemed%2Creputable&year_start=1940&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=10
Caleb Holt
- +2
Sep 28 2011: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=supercalifragilisticexpialidocious&year_start=1890&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3
- Debra Smith 100+
  - 0
  Sep 28 2011: A blip when the book came out and spikes with each subsequent release of the movie I bet. This was a good one too!
Debra Smith 100+
- +2
Sep 28 2011: A star is born!

Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy. Guess who is the star???

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=Santa+Claus%2CKris+Kringle%2CSaint+Nicholas%2CEaster+Bunny%2CTooth+Fairy&year_start=1600&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=9
- Sabin Muntean 30+
  - +1
  Host Associate
  
  Sep 28 2011: What's up with the Easter Bunny? Not even a close competition!
  
  Good idea by they way, Debra!
  Your Ngram motivated me to check something else, namely how the jolly Santa Claus promoted by Coca Cola slowly replaced its German equivalent, the Christkind during the past century.
  http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=Weihnachtsmann%2CChristkind%2CSankt+Nikolaus%2CKnecht+Ruprecht%2CSanta+Claus&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=8&smoothing=3
  
  A clear spike is visible after the 2nd World War and afterwards the popularity of the Christkind dwindles. :(
  - Debra Smith 100+
    
    0
    Sep 28 2011: I somehow entirely would have missed that talk on Ngrams if you had not started this thread. I am so grateful to you for the ridiculous amount of fun I have had with it. It is a game for my brain trying to figure out the whys of it all! Thank you Sabin.
- Donna Todd
  - +1
  Sep 29 2011: You forgot Father Christmas
  - Debra Smith 100+
    
    0
    Sep 29 2011: Good Catch, Donna!
    
    Here is the revised Ngram and it turns out that he is an important fellow!
    
    http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=Santa+Claus%2CKris+Kringle%2CSaint+Nicholas%2C+Father+Christmas%2C+Easter+Bunny%2CTooth+Fairy&year_start=1600&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=9
Brad Blue
- +2
Sep 27 2011: As if we needed proof!!!

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=bacon%2Cmirth&year_start=1950&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=9
Clean Breath
- +1
Sep 27 2011: love,war,kill,treat,hospitaller,knight,hosptial,clinic,heal

take hospital and clinic separately

now try this one on

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=platinum%2Cgold%2Csilver%2Cpalladium%2Ccopper&year_start=1500&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=1

Anyone living with AIDS can come up with lots of outrageous comparisons.
stephane erbrech
- +1
Sep 27 2011: I'm kind of puzzled by this one, history of offensive words :

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=fuck%2Ccrap%2Cshit%2Cbitch%2Cslut&year_start=1700&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3

seems like a long time ago, people like very much the F word, then it stopped, and it picked up recently again...
I guess there is an explanation with the quality or diversity of the data sources. but still funny.
- Sabin Muntean 30+
  - 0
  Host Associate
  
  Sep 28 2011: Well, it definitely shows that our books have become much more vulgar lately. What I am curious about, is whether people really used the F word that much in the 19th century or whether it's some error by Google. And if that is true, then why the sudden change of heart?
  - Christie Gibson
    
    +1
    Sep 30 2011: Well, I think "s" is sometimes mistakenly picked up in google as "f", at least during the 19th century. Perhaps that accounts for it? (I mean, "suck" is not an uncommon word).
    - Kristofer Björnson 10+
      
      +2
      
      Oct 1 2011: Haha, couldn't resist commenting on this one. Your explanation is most certainly correct Christie. Look at this:
      http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/graph?content=fuck%2Csuck&year_start=1700&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3
- ruth mcghee
  - 0
  Oct 4 2011: In the TED talk itself, he explained why you might see this phenomenon: up until the 1800s, the 's' character was written as an 'f' so any text scanned in that time period would read the 'f' word, when in fact it was actually the word 'suck'. So, it isn't an indication of heavy use of the 'f' work, but of how the digitized text is read. He showed this with the 'beft' query ever chart.
Kuldeep Daftary
- +1
Sep 27 2011: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=cricket%2Cfootball%2Chockey%2Ctennis%2Crugby%2C+golf&year_start=1500&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3

cricket,football,hockey,tennis,rugby,golf
According to Graphs Cricket is oldest among above mentioned sports and Football is most talked this days.

I'm in love with this app. You can carry out an entire research on anything over here !
Graham Sutherland
- +4
Sep 26 2011: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=working%2Chappy&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=6&smoothing=1

Says it all.
Graham Sutherland
- +1
Sep 26 2011: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=war%2C+love&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=1

Interesting - war seems to be inversely proportional to love.
Sarah Moran
- 0
Sep 26 2011: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=smarmy+&year_start=1960&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3

Intriguing!
Axel Guðmundsson
- 0
Sep 25 2011: I find this one quite intriguing:

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=God+is+death&year_start=1700&year_end=2011&corpus=0&smoothing=3

What's with the single spike there?
- Sabin Muntean 30+
  - 0
  Host Associate
  
  Sep 25 2011: Such spikes appear in several graphs, always during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I suspect they are caused by errors in calculation or programming.
- Lauren Bradley
  - 0
  Oct 4 2011: Could it not also coincide with Nietzsche's 'The Gay Science' in 1882? The famous 'god is dead' phrase? It seems to happen a little early, though.
Debra Smith 100+
- 0
Sep 24 2011: I think I am over my limit but I cannot resist something so enlightening and fun (please forgive me Sabin!)

Here is one for opinion, debate, free will and free press:

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=opinion%2C+debate%2C+free+will%2C+free+press&year_start=1500&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3

Here is free press and censorship:

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=free+press%2Ccensorship&year_start=1600&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3

And I find it very scary!
Scott Wilkins 10+
- 0
Sep 23 2011: God, devil. http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=devil%2C+god&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3 The devil had him in the 1800s, but God's winning out today. :)

But, then I noticed I forgot to capitalize God. Totally different result. It seems capitilization matters. http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=devil%2C+God&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3

So re-run your results with capitals and see what happens.

But we all know that good will always triumph over evil... http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=good%2C+evil&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3

This one struck me a funny. http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=smack+down&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3 Seems the 1940's was the decade of "smack down"

And the early 1900's everyone was more concerned with spelling... http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=misspelled&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3

Also seems the more sex we have the less lies we have. http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=sex%2Clies&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3 Interesting don't you think?
James Bisset
- 0
Sep 23 2011: http://bit.ly/PollutionAsthmaAllergyAsbestosEmphysemaADHD
Matt Johnston
- +1
Sep 22 2011: Penis vs. Vagina. WHY NOT!? :D It's more interesting than you think. The vagina is HUGE around 1883. They both fell sharply around the 1920's, but in the 60's the Penis and Vagina finally meet up, and oddly the penis takes off from there, where as coming into the new century we get a little bored of vagina. This intrigues me as a scientist. I ask why?

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=penis%2Cvagina&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3
- Debra Smith 100+
  - +4
  Sep 22 2011: This may be indelicate but there is an answer.
  
  A physician in 1859 claimed that a quarter of all women suffered from hysteria (in reality the need for sexual orgasm was considered a malady and a symptom inappropriate for 'good women'). Rachel P. Maines has observed that such cases were quite profitable for physicians, since the patients were at no risk of death, but needed constant treatment ( read here manual stimulation by the doctor to achieve orgasm). The only problem was that physicians did not enjoy the tedious task of vaginal massage (generally referred to as 'pelvic massage'): The technique was difficult for a physician to master and could take hours to achieve "hysterical paroxysm." Referral to midwives, which had been common practice, meant a loss of business for the physician.
  In 1918 doctors invented and sold the first at home electrical vibrators and soon after the diagnosis went out of fashion. Fact not fiction.
  - Sabin Muntean 30+
    
    0
    Host Associate
    
    Sep 22 2011: I love this explanation! :)
  - Simon Pirfält
    
    0
    Sep 25 2011: Just had to:
    
    http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=pelvic+massage%2Chysterical+paroxysm&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3
    - Debra Smith 100+
      
      0
      
      Sep 26 2011: Fascinating!
Emil Martinsek
- +1
Sep 22 2011: I though this one was interesting:
http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=Individual%2CCommunity%2CFamily&year_start=1850&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3

Notice how family lags community in its upswings. And notice the big drop in the last 2 decades for both. Have we just changed our lexicon for the concepts of family and community - or have they really decline so sharply? Individual and community stayed close until right about the start of WWII, at which point community took off.

I also found the "individual" and "faith" inverse correlation to be cool although I offer no interpretation: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=Individual%2CFaith&year_start=1850&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3

I used faith because I find it a better proxy for the emotional and spiritual state of religiousness than the word "religion."

Notice how marriage might be on the decline, but love is ever stronger: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=Marriage%2C+Love&year_start=1850&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3

And it appears that it is less about "government" and increasingly about "politics" these days in the administration of the United States with "business" taking the top ranking by 2000: http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=Government%2CPolitics%2CBusiness&year_start=1850&year_end=2008&corpus=5&smoothing=3

I could spend days. :)
James Kindler 10+
- 0
Sep 22 2011: I tryed to cut and paste but it didn't come up red, i'll try again.

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