Table 3 Open in new tab Words most...

Table 3

Words most likely to co-associate with ‘attention’ at lexical distance ten in the ECCO decades 1770–80, 1780–90, and 1790–1800, respectively

Top twenty words most-likely to co-associate with ‘attention’ distance ten, ECCO time period 1770–80	1780–90	1790–1800
interesting engrossed importance listened discuss destination inattentive cleanliness awkward objets multiplicity provident imperceptibly objects steadiness important overlooked neatness occupations attention	cleanliness interesting engross importance hearer listened objects harangues objeas scold important multiplicity convinces mathematicians pursuits solicitude momentous engrossed objets hints	arithmetick cleanliness importance interesting civilities important listened assiduity objects engross pursuits inattentive objeas proficiency overlooked object details seriousness prevention topic

Top twenty words most-likely to co-associate with ‘attention’ distance ten, ECCO time period 1770–80	1780–90	1790–1800
interesting engrossed importance listened discuss destination inattentive cleanliness awkward objets multiplicity provident imperceptibly objects steadiness important overlooked neatness occupations attention	cleanliness interesting engross importance hearer listened objects harangues objeas scold important multiplicity convinces mathematicians pursuits solicitude momentous engrossed objets hints	arithmetick cleanliness importance interesting civilities important listened assiduity objects engross pursuits inattentive objeas proficiency overlooked object details seriousness prevention topic

Notes: Here we find one of the few instances of OCR error that was returned in the research for writing this article. It is usually clear what word has been distorted by OCR. The topic of bad OCR and ‘dirty’ or ‘noisy’ data or results is served by a generally very good literature, and I have read widely on the subject. The following chapters, articles, and books have added to my sense of the state of play, and my sense that ECCO is a valid field of enquiry in the context nonetheless: Biber (2018), Hiltunen et al. (2017), Tolonen et al. (2017). Jonardon Ganeri (2017) argues that attention, rather than self, should be the central concept in any attempt to explain the human mind.

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