Accessibility statement

English corpus linguistics

Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce you to corpus linguistics, and the use of corpora in studying English language. The first half of the spring term will introduce the theory and practice of corpus linguistics, and the second half will explore how corpora are currently used in linguistic research on English. The summer term is devoted to workshops related to individual project work. This module is largely practical and skills driven and the assessment is designed to test your skills in accessing the primary literature, data collection and analysis, descriptive adequacy, critical thinking, argumentation, and written presentation skills.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

  • understand and discuss the main issues and methodologies of corpus linguistics
  • understand the role of corpus data in linguistic research
  • carry out linguistic investigations using a variety of corpora and corpus methodologies
  • perform simple statistical tests

You will develop your competence in the following skills:

  • recognising and explaining complex patterns in linguistic data
  • forming valid generalisations about language from corpus data
  • expressing grammatical concepts clearly and concisely
  • designing and carrying out a small research project using corpus data
  • summarising and presenting findings in a style appropriate to the norms of the discipline
  • understanding and applying basic statistical concepts relevant to linguistic analysis

Note that a Research Extension module can be taken alongside this module, for students who wish to write a dissertation.

This module will be capped at 35.

About this module

  • Module name
    English corpus linguistics
  • Course code
    L32H (LAN00032H)
  • Teacher
    Eva Zehentner 
  • Term(s) taught
    Spring-summer
  • Credits
    20