Corpus Linguistics for TESOL

Module title	Corpus Linguistics for TESOL
Module code	EFPM293
Academic year	2021/2
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Philip Durrant (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		10

Number students taking module (anticipated)	10

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

Corpus linguistics is one of the most widely-used and powerful research methods in applied linguistics. Corpus research has had a major impact on the ways we think about language and language learning, and all major modern dictionaries, grammars, and language textbooks are now informed by corpus work. This module introduces the basic principles and tools of corpus linguistics. It will give you hands-on experience of doing corpus research. It will also help you develop a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of corpus linguistics and of how corpora are used in TESOL materials and classrooms.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to enable you to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to:

1) understand, evaluate and use corpus-informed language teaching techniques and resources;

2) carry out applied corpus linguistic work in an educational context; and

3) carry out small-scale corpus linguistic research projects.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. demonstrate an understanding of the principles of corpus design and analysis;
2. demonstrate an understanding of the roles of corpus linguistics in applied linguistics and TESOL;
3. demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate corpus-informed pedagogical techniques and resources;
4. demonstrate an awareness of how to use corpus-linguistics tools for pedagogical purposes;
5. use corpus-linguistic tools to carry out small-scale research projects;
6. demonstrate an awareness of key linguistic features studied by corpus linguistics, including: frequency, collocation, collostruction, and semantic prosody;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

7. demonstrate an awareness of language variation;
8. demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of representativeness and balance in textual research;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

9. engage in independent study and group/pair work; and
10. use a computer to store and analyse written texts.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

The nature and uses of corpus linguistics
Key findings and uses of corpus research
The principles and practice of building a corpus
The principles of corpus analysis
Tools for corpus analysis
Using publicly available corpus-based resources
Using corpora in teaching

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
16	134	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	16	8 x 2-hour seminars
Guided independent study	24	Directed reading: seminar preparation/review
Guided independent study	20	Directed reading: further exploration of chosen topics
Guided independent study	10	Formative assignment preparation
Guided independent study	80	Summative assignment preparation

Assessment

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Individual oral presentation describing planned corpus analysis for second summative assessment	10 minute presentation + Q & A session	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10	Oral feedback from peers and tutor

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Written review of a corpus-based pedagogical resource (e.g. dictionary, grammar, textbook, online tool, online corpus interface). This should 1) describe the resource; 2) describe the corpus and corpus analysis/tools it draws on; 3) evaluate the resource.	30	750 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9	Written feedback from tutor
Written paper describing a corpus linguistic analysis of a chosen linguistic feature and reflection on how this analysis might inform language pedagogy.	70	3000 words	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10	Written feedback from tutor
	0
	0
	0
	0

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Written review of a corpus-based pedagogical resource (e.g. dictionary, grammar, textbook, online tool, online corpus interface). This should 1) describe the resource; 2) describe the corpus and corpus analysis/tools it draws on; 3) evaluate the resource.	Written review of a corpus-based pedagogical resource (e.g. dictionary, grammar, textbook, online tool, online corpus interface). This should 1) describe the resource; 2) describe the corpus and corpus analysis/tools it draws on; 3) evaluate the resource. (750 words)	1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9	Following the programme specification, usually within six weeks.
Written paper describing a corpus linguistic analysis of a chosen linguistic feature and reflection on how this analysis might inform language pedagogy.	Written paper describing a corpus linguistic analysis of a chosen linguistic feature and reflection on how this analysis might inform language pedagogy. (3000 words)	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10	Following the programme specification, usually within six weeks

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Flowerdew, L. (2011). Corpora and Language Education. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hunston, S. (2002). Corpora in Applied Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

McCarthy, M. (1998). Spoken language and applied linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge university press.

McEnery, T., & Hardie, A. (2012). Corpus linguistics: Method, Theory and Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

McEnery, T., & Wilson, A. (2001). Corpus linguistics: an introduction (Second ed.). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

McEnery, T., Xiao, R., & Tono, Y. (2006). Corpus-based language studies: an advanced resource book. Abingdon: Routledge.

O'Keeffe, A., & McCarthy, M. (Eds.). (2010). The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics. Abingdon: Routledge.

O'Keeffe, A., McCarthy, M., & Carter, R. (2007). From corpus to classroom: language use and language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

A free MOOC on corpus linguistics: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/corpus-linguistics

Downloadable corpus analysis tools:

https://www.laurenceanthony.net
http://corpora.lancs.ac.uk/lancsbox/help.php
https://www.linguisticanalysistools.org

Online corpus interfaces:

https://www.sketchengine.eu
http://view.byu.edu

Lists of available corpora:

Online corpus-based tools and resources:

http://www.lextutor.ca
http://flax.nzdl.org/greenstone3/flax
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk
http://bawequicklinks.coventry.domains/encyclopedia/
https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/grammar-pattern
https://www.englishprofile.org/

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

TESOL; Language; Corpus Linguistics; Text Analysis

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	02/05/2014
Last revision date	11/05/2021