English Corpus Linguistics

In this course, students will practise testing hypotheses about language with real data and, by means of computer-based tools, study how language is actually used. The course offers an introduction to empirical approaches to the study of language, specifically those developed within corpus linguistics. The topics examined will be relevant to areas such as lexicography and semantics; pragmatics and discourse; translation studies; and variation studies. We will examine variation and change across registers, dialects and modes, and evaluate linguistic norms from the perspective of usage data. Students will gain practical experience in using corpora and software for data analysis and for solving their own language queries.