Corpus Linguistics: Method, Analysis, Interpretation

Learn how to build and query corpora in this practical course

On this course, you’ll get a practical introduction to corpus linguistics, an extremely versatile methodology of language analysis using computers.

Over eight weeks, you’ll build the skills necessary to collect and analyse large digital collections of text (corpora).

You’ll be introduced to a number of topics demonstrating the use of corpora in areas as diverse as discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and language learning and teaching.

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in the study of language.

• Introduction to corpus linguistics
• Introduction to the corpus linguistics course and the FutureLearn platform
• Introduction to corpus linguistics
• Test your knowledge
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Readings for week 1
• Week 1 discussion
• In conversation with Elena Semino
• In conversation with Ruth Avon
• In conversation with Tony McEnery
• Corpus linguistics at Lancaster University
• A look at language
• A look at language
• Test your knowledge
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Readings for week 2
• Week 2 discussion
• In conversation with Geoffrey Leech and Michael Hoey
• Supplementary materials for week 2
• More information about corpus linguistics
• Compare and contrast – corpus based discourse analysis
• Compare and contrast - corpus based discourse analysis
• Test your knowledge
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Readings for week 3
• Week 3 discussion
• In conversation with Paul Baker, Steve Young and Basil Germond
• Supplementary materials for week 3
• How do you build a corpus?
• Build a corpus
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Corpus building toolkit
• Readings for week 4
• Week 4 discussion
• Week 4 assessment
• In conversation with Kearsy Cormier, Alistair Baron, Vaclav Brezina and Paul Rayson
• Supplementary materials for week 4
• More information about corpus linguistics
• Corpus linguistics and sociolinguistics
• Looking at social variation through corpora
• Test your knowledge
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Readings for week 5
• Week 5 discussion
• In conversation with Miriam Meyerhoff, Jonathan Culpeper, Claire Hardaker and Mike Scott
• Supplementary materials for week 5
• Language testing and corpus linguistics
• Corpora in language testing
• Test your knowledge
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Readings for week 6
• Week 6 discussion
• In conversation with Luke Harding and Michael Rundell
• Supplementary materials for week 6
• Language learning and corpus linguistics
• Language learning and corpus linguistics
• Test your knowledge
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Readings for week 7
• Week 7 discussion
• In conversation with Costas Gabrielatos, Chris Tribble, Patrick Hanks and Elaine Boyd
• Supplementary materials for week 7
• Speech - a swearing extravaganza
• A swearing extravaganza
• How to analyse a corpus - practical activity
• Readings for week 8
• Week 8 discussion
• Final Assessment
• Concluding activity
• In conversation with Geoffrey Leech, Doug Biber and Vaclav Brezina
• Supplementary materials for week 8
• Where next?