Corpus linguistics uses real world data for the analysis of language. In this module you'll learn about how we can use a corpus (body of texts) to discover patterns of usage in English and investigate variation and change. Assuming no prior knowledge, we'll teach the valuable skills you need to use standard text analysis software, check your own ideas and discover patterns yourself.
Pre-requisite modules
Co-requisite modules
- None
Prohibited combinations
- None
With respect to pre-requisites the following modules are equivalent.
First year modules
Introduction to Syntax, Morphology and Syntax, and Syntactic Structures
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
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.
On completion of this module a student should be able to:
A student will develop competence in the following skills:
Employability skills:
This module introduces the concept of the corpus as an authentic language sample. We consider how corpora are designed and put together and how information about linguistic structure (annotation) is added to a corpus. Students develop knowledge of the questions that corpus linguistics helps us to answer, and as part of this we deepen our understanding of variables and hypotheses, including how to test them.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 30 |
Essay/coursework | 70 |
None
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 70 |
Essay/coursework | 30 |
Feedback for the first formative is given by the end of week 7. For the second formative it is given by the end of week 10. For the third formative it is given by the end of week 11. Feedback for the first and second summatives is given within the University mandated turnaround time.
Biber, D. (1993). Representativeness in Corpus Design. Literary and Linguistic Computing, 8(4).
Gries, S. Th. (2009). What is Corpus Linguistics? Language and Linguistics Compass, 3(5), 1225–1241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2009.00149.x
McEnery, T., & Hardie, A. (2011). Corpus Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511981395.002
Taylor, C. 2007. What is Corpus Linguistics? What the data says. ICAME Journal 32, 179-200.