82011 - Corpus Linguistics (CL2)

Learning outcomes

The student - knows the basic features (terms, concepts and methods) of corpus linguistics applied to the study of the structure, functions and textual organization of the English language - is able to understand, analyze and coherently produce complex written texts (but also oral speeches) belonging to various specialized text types and genres, including multimedia ones - is able to use the competences acquired through the empirical analysis of texts, to make and evaluate translation choices

Course contents

The module introduces students to the basics of corpus linguistics and allows them to practice its methods through extensive corpus-assisted discourse analysis work. The acquisition of the competences and capacities outlined in the learning outcomes is favoured by the provision of hands-on activities in which theoretical notions and methods are applied to a) mediated varieties of English (English as a lingua franca, translated English, learner English vs. native English) and b) text types that the students are interested in or familiar with (such as tweets, blogs, political speeches, press conferences, newspaper articles, fantasy literature etc.). Particular attention is given to how ‘non-obvious’ meanings are communicated and interpreted, that is, forms of meaning which may be uncovered by corpus linguistics techniques but which may not be self-evident to other forms of reading.

The module, which aims to increase the students' awareness of their own expressive means and to improve their discourse analytical skills, has two parts. Part A, taught by Silvia Bernardini, covers the theoretical and methodological bases of corpus linguistics and mediated varieties of English. Part B, taught by Alan Partington, applies and extends the competences acquired in part A, applying them to corpus-aided discourse analysis of selected text types.

Readings/Bibliography

Main reference text

McEnery, T. and A. Hardie 2012. Corpus linguistics. Method, theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Other suggested readings

Jones, C. and D. Waller 2015. Corpus linguistics for grammar. Oxford and New York: Routledge. [Practice-oriented]

Mikhailov, M. and R. Cooper 2016. Corpus linguistics for translation and contrastive studies. Oxford and New York: Routledge. [Practice-oriented]

Partington, A. 2017. "Varieties of non-obvious meaning in CL and CADS: from ‘hindsight post-dictability’ to sweet serendipity". Corpora 12:3, 339-367.

Other readings will be chosen jointly by the lecturers and the students, based on the areas of application of corpus linguistics focused upon. Students will be encouraged to actively search for relevant literature, and to share it with the class.

Teaching methods

The module is structured around a) a series of lectures covering the main theoretical and methodological aspects of corpus linguistics, and b) extensive hands-on, workshop-like lessons in which students apply the knowledge gained in the lectures by building and using their own corpora and by consulting existing ones available in the public domain.

Hands-on activities are problem-based, i.e. they revolve around authentic problem that students solve working autonomously or in small groups. Peer support and the lecturers' scaffolding create a relaxed learner-centred environment conducive to the development of relational and problem-solving skills.

Assessment methods

Success in learning is assessed through observation and interaction in class and through unassessed coursework such as oral presentations and short writing exercises, along the lines of the final exam.

End of course assessment for this module is by written exam (writing of an essay in English). Students are given a choice of 3 essay questions 30 days prior to the exam. For the exam itself, that lasts 180 minutes and takes place in a computer lab, students answer one question in writing, individually, using a PC with internet connection and access to any available corpora and reference material.

The essay is assessed jointly by S. Bernardini and A. Partington, and an equal weight is given to formal aspects (lexis and grammar, structure, register and genre) and content (understanding of theoretical notions, command of techniques for searching, analysing and reporting corpus data, capacity for original thought/argumentation).

The Corpus linguistics module is part of the Linguistics for Translation course. The overall mark for the whole course is obtained by averaging the marks obtained in the exams for the two constituent modules (Corpus Linguistics and Text Linguistics).

Teaching tools

Both lecture-like and workshop-like sessions take place in a computer lab equipped with PCs and a data projector, so as to be able to switch back and forth between the two teaching methods.

Slides are used for lectures and subsequently made available to the students via the Moodle platform, in pdf format.

During workshop sessions, students have individual hands-on access to software for constructing and analysing corpora (e.g., Intertext editor, AntConc, NoSketch Engine).

Links to further information

https://moodle.sslmit.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=1249

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Bernardini

See the website of Alan Scott Partington