sampling
B2Formal to technical, with neutral use in everyday contexts.
Definition
Meaning
The process of taking a small, representative part of something larger for analysis or testing.
In various fields, the act of selecting a subset from a population to make inferences about the whole; in music, the technique of reusing a portion of a sound recording in a new piece.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The meaning shifts significantly between statistical contexts (methodology) and artistic/musical contexts (creative reuse). In statistics, it implies representativeness; in music, it implies appropriation and transformation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling is consistent.
Connotations
Neutral in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in academic, technical, and business contexts in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
sampling of [noun]sampling from [source]sampling for [purpose]sampling by [method]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A taste is worth a thousand words (related concept)”
- “The proof of the pudding is in the eating (related concept)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Market research relies on accurate sampling of consumer opinions.
Academic
The study's validity depends on its stratified sampling procedure.
Everyday
The chef offered a sampling of the new desserts.
Technical
The ADC's sampling frequency must exceed twice the signal's bandwidth.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- They are sampling the water quality at several points along the river.
- The DJ spent hours sampling old funk records for his new track.
American English
- The agency is sampling air quality downtown.
- She's sampling different chord progressions from vintage soul albums.
adverb
British English
- The data was collected sampling randomly across the region. (less common)
American English
- The device operates sampling at 44.1 kHz. (technical)
adjective
British English
- The sampling methodology was clearly outlined in the appendix.
- We attended a sampling session for new product flavours.
American English
- The sampling error was calculated at 3%.
- He used a sampling keyboard to recreate the orchestra sound.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The shop gave me a free sampling of the new cheese.
- We did a sampling of different fruits in the market.
- The survey used a sampling of 1000 people from across the country.
- The report is based on a small sampling of companies.
- Proper sampling techniques are crucial for reliable statistical results.
- The musician is known for his creative sampling of jazz recordings.
- Critics questioned whether the sampling frame adequately represented the target population.
- The track employs granular sampling, deconstructing the vocal phrase into micro-sounds.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a SAMPLE being taken from a PLATE of food. SAMPLING is the action of taking that sample.
Conceptual Metaphor
UNDERSTANDING THE WHOLE BY EXAMINING A PART (The map is not the territory, but a sample can represent it).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating directly as 'пример' (example) in technical contexts; use 'выборка'.
- In musical contexts, it is a borrowed term 'сэмплинг', not 'отбор'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'sampling' to mean 'example' (e.g., 'This is a good sampling of his work' – better: 'specimen' or 'example').
- Confusing 'sampling' (noun) with 'to sample' (verb) in sentence structure.
Practice
Quiz
In which context does 'sampling' NOT typically refer to a statistical method?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while it's a core term in statistics and research, it is also widely used in music production, food tasting, quality control, and environmental science.
'A sample' is the noun for the item or subset itself. 'Sampling' is the noun for the process or action of taking samples.
Yes, the verb is 'to sample'. 'Sampling' can be its present participle or gerund (e.g., 'They are sampling the soil').
Using 'sampling' as a fancy synonym for 'an example' in non-technical writing, which can sound unnatural. It's better to use 'example', 'specimen', or 'selection'.
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