Cluster Analysis. Finding structure in linguistic data.

Cluster analysis is an exploratory data analysis technique, encompassing a number of different algorithms and methods for sorting different objects into groups. Cluster analysis requires the analyst to make choices about dissimilar- ity measures, grouping algorithms, etc., and these choices are difficult to make without having an understanding of their theoretical implications (and a very good understanding of the data). This chapter provides an introduction to the distance measures and clustering algorithms most commonly used for cluster analytic work. Different from Baayen (2008), Johnson (2008) and Gries (2009), its main aim is to equip the researcher with at least a basic understanding of what is happening; a dataset is explored with the help of a particular cluster an- alytic technique.