One of the most valuable achievements in recent linguistics has been the methodology that investigates language via corpora, i.e. large electronic text collections. As this course is intended as an introduction to corpus linguistics, we will discuss its definition as well as its placement within the field of linguistics. At the same time it will be a hands-on course with a huge space reserved for practical experience with both online and offline corpora. The various types of corpora provide us with material to investigate the different areas of linguistics via corpus means. The following questions do only represent a selection of topics we will focus on: Can I use the Internet as a cyberspace corpus? How do lexicographers use corpora? What do corpora tell us about the phasicon of a language? Can corpora help us investigate metaphorical language? Do corpora provide us with reasons for language change? ... Basic course material: Lindquist, Hans. 2009. Corpus Linguistics and the Description of English. Edinburgh: EUP. |
