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The wide availability of web-based text and video data and the rapid development of online search and analysis tools have revolutionized linguistic research. Large text collections (or corpora, as they are often called) are now easily searchable, even online, and analysis is just as fast. But how can you use, for example, Google Trends or a corpus like the new GloWbE in the field of applied linguistics? In this seminar, we will attempt to answer questions from various linguistic disciplines with the help of corpus data. After an overview of past and present corpora and corpus tools, we will try to find new applications for various types of corpora, from traditional monitor or learner collections to non-linguistic tools like blog search. Quantitative and qualitative approaches can provide new perspectives on today’s English under the influence of electronic and web-based discourse. In addition, diachronic features such as lexical innovation or syntactical change can be quantified and described, illustrating past and current development trends. Corpus analysis can also be a useful tool in language teaching, for example in the description of specialized languages, learning progress or typical mistakes and the optimization of teaching materials.
A list of topics for presentations and research will be available in the first seminar session. The accompanying voluntary tutorial offers students individual advice on the topics discussed in the seminar. Near the end of the semester, a paper conference will be held to make sure students are headed in the right direction with their term papers. For detailed course requirements please also consult the respective module descriptions. |
