Language for Specific Purposes and Corpus‐based Pedagogy

Abstract

This chapter describes how corpus-based pedagogies are used for teaching and learning language for specific purposes (LSP). Corpus linguistics (CL) refers to the study of large quantities of authentic language using computer-assisted methods, which form the basis for computer-assisted language learning (CALL) that uses corpora for reference, exploration, and interactive learning. The use of corpora as reference resources to create LSP materials is described. Direct student uses of corpora are illustrated by three approaches to data-driven learning (DDL) where students engage in hands-on explorations of texts. A combination of indirect and direct corpus applications is shown in an illustration of interactive CALL technologies, including an example of an inclusive corpus-based tool for genre-based writing pedagogy. The chapter concludes with potential prospects for future developments in LSP. AbstractThis chapter describes how corpus-based pedagogies are used for teaching and learning language for specific purposes (LSP). Corpus linguistics (CL) refers to the study of large quantities of authentic language using computer-assisted methods, which form the basis for computer-assisted language learning (CALL) that uses corpora for reference, exploration, and interactive learning. The use of corpora as reference resources to create LSP materials is described. Direct student uses of corpora are illustrated by three approaches to data-driven learning (DDL) where students engage in hands-on explorations of texts. A combination of indirect and direct corpus applications is shown in an illustration of interactive CALL technologies, including an example of an inclusive corpus-based tool for genre-based writing pedagogy. The chapter concludes with potential prospects for future developments in LSP.

How to Create Digital XML-Annotated Glossaries in Class? A Multimodal Approach to Teaching Specialized Languages Across All Levels of Education

“…Research on specialized languages has traditionally been concerned with second and foreign language teaching, namely English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Indeed, the field of Language for Specific Purposes has extended to include academic (Language for Academic Purposes, also known as LAP) and professional (Language for Occupational Purposes, also known as LOP) contexts [4]. However, the definition proposed by ISO standard 1087:2019 (https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:1087:en) states that a special language is a "natural language used in communication between experts in a domain and characterized by the use of specific linguistic means of expression".…”

Review of McEnery & Brezina (2022): Fundamental Principles of Corpus Linguistics

“…For example, there is potential for a lack of consideration for the role of interpretation when conducting corpus analyses (Egbert et al, 2020) and a growing preoccupation with quantity over quality in corpus description (Egbert, 2019). Moreover, with a focus on big data, there is of relegating small, specialised corpora to a lesser status, despite small corpora remaining of critical importance when applying corpus linguistics to fields such as languages for specific purposes, contrastive linguistics, and pragmatics (Cotos, 2017;Curry, 2021;Rühlemann, 2021). Offering a counter-perspective to such worrying practices, Fundamental Principles of Corpus Linguistics (McEnery & Brezina, 2022) reminds us of the need to focus not just on the quantity of corpus data, but also on their quality.…”