7. Text Analytics

Roger Rumack: “Can you fly this plane, and land it?”

Ted Striker: “Surely you can’t be serious.”

Roger Rumack: “I am serious... and don’t call me Shirley.”

—LESLIE NIELSEN AS ROGER RUMACK ANDROBERT HAYS AS TED STRIKER IN Airplane! (1980)

Given the quotations that start each chapter, it should come as no surprise that I would choose movies to introduce text analytics. Context is important when working with text. We would not analyze medical records in the same way we analyze political discourse. Sports blog postings are different from song lyrics. As for movies—they are a world unto themselves.

Movies have changed considerably over the years. Films from the 1960s and ′70s are my favorites. I can enjoy watching Butch Cassidy and ...

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