2015/07/12

An introduction to on-line corpora for language teaching and language learning

by Victoria Muehleisen

After a brief introduction to corpora (including what they are, how they are made, what types of corpora are available on-line, and why the internet is not a corpus), Muelhleisen led a hands-on workshop, in which participants practiced using a few different corpora. We saw how corpora can be used for the following:

1. checking intuitions about word use and language patterns (since even native speakers are not always sure about how their language works);

2. finding real-life examples to explain the use of particular grammatical patterns or vocabulary items;

3. investigating types of language which are not often included in textbooks and dictionaries;

4. looking for examples of language change over time; and

5. developing data-driving language learning exercise for students.