Corpus linguistics: method, analysis, interpretation - A Seasonal, Corpus Linguistics, Gift!
FutureLearn please.do.not.reply@futurelearn.com
Dec 24 (6 days ago)
Well, in the UK it is Christmas Eve and the giving of presents will begin in the morning. So I thought I would start a little early and send you a note to say what the Corpus Linguistics course has in store for you in 2014! OK – a very academic present, I know, but I think it is one you will appreciate. Each week will be split into four. There will be an introductory lecture on a topic, one or more advanced lectures covering similar topics (or just plain interesting topics), a ‘how to’ session where you can develop corpus searching and building skills and, last but not least, one or more ‘in conversation’ videos where I talk to a friend about their use of corpus linguistics. Some of this you know if you have been following my emails and tweets so far (for those of you who are not but would like to follow the tweets follow me @TonyMcEnery and keep a look out for the hashtag #corpusMOOC). So – for the present. A bit more detail!
For the introductory lectures, all given by yours truly, I am covering the following topics:
Week 1: Introduction to Corpus Linguistics
Week 2: A Look at Language (including a look at changes in British and American English in the 20th century)
Week 3: Corpus Based Discourse Analysis (a worked case study looking at how the British Press write about refugees and asylum speakers)
Week 4: How Do You Build a Corpus?
Week 5: Corpus Linguistics in Action – Looking at Social Issues Through Corpora (I walk through a case study looking at how disability is reported in the context of the Paralympics)
Week 6: Dictionary and Textbook Construction (how corpora help with both, especially for language learning)
Week 7: Language Learning and Corpus Linguistics
Week 8: A Swearing Extravaganza (looking at my work on how bad language is used in present day English)
In case any of you are concerned about the content of week 8 I think you need not be – one of my students once reassured me that I manage to make swearing boring! Seriously though, the study in week 8 is a careful and detailed look at a type of language which we hear about us almost every day in the English speaking world – whether we care to or not.
All of the lectures have supporting readings available for you to download, donated by publishers including Bloomsbury, Edinburgh University Press and Routledge. Beyond the lectures, as noted, are more in depth lectures. These include the following:
A Further Introduction to Corpus Linguistics (with Geoffrey Leech, week 1)
The Statistics of Collocation (with Andrew Hardie, Week 2)
Corpora and Discourse Analysis – in Depth (with Paul Baker, week 3)
Applying Corpus Methods to Forensic Linguistics (with Claire Hardaker, week 5)
Corpus Linguistics and Geographical Information Systems (with Ian Gregory, week 6)
There are many more advanced lectures besides! In the New Year I will send out a further note, focussing on the ‘in conversation’ and ‘how to’ content. For now, the very best wishes of the season to you and may I wish you a happy and prosperous new year.
Best,
Tony
Change which emails you receive - http://www.futurelearn.com/settings
Need support? Contact us by emailing feedback@futurelearn.com
--
FutureLearn is a registered company in England and Wales - 8324083 PO Box 77, Chambers Building, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BT