Corpus Linguistics software:Understanding their usages and delivering two new tools

The increasing availability of computers to ordinary users in the last few decades has led to an exponential increase in the use of Corpus Linguistics (CL) methodologies. The people exploring this data come from a variety of backgrounds and, in many cases, are not proficient corpus linguists. Despite the ongoing development of new tools, there is still an immense gap between what CL can offer and what is currently being done by researchers. This study has two outcomes. It (a) identifies the gap between potential and actual uses of CL methods and tools, and (b) enhances the usability of CL software and complement statistical application through the use of data visualization and user-friendly interfaces. The first outcome is achieved through (i) an investigation of how CL methods are reported in academic publications; (ii) a systematic observation of users of CL software as they engage in the routine tasks; and (iii) a review of four well-established pieces of software used for corpus exploration. Based on the findings, two new statistical tools for CL studies with high usability were developed and implemented on to an existing system, CQPweb. The Advanced Dispersion tool allows users to graphically explore how queries are distributed in a corpus, which makes it easier for users to understand the concept of dispersion. The tool also provides accurate dispersion measures. The Parlink Tool was designed having as its primary target audience beginners with interest in translations studies and second language education. The tool’s primary function is to make it easier for users to see possible translations for corpus queries in the parallel concordances, without the need to use external resources, such as translation memories

Verbs in the written English of Chinese learners : a corpus-based comparison between non-native speakers and native speakers

This thesis consists of ten chapters and its research methodology is a combination of quantitative and qualitative. Chapter One introduces the theme of the thesis, a demonstration of a corpus-based comparative approach in detecting the needs of the learners by looking for the similarities and disparities between the learner English (the COLEC corpus) and the NS English (the LOCNESS corpus). Chapter Two reviews the literature in relevant learner language studies and indicates the tasks of the research. The data and technology are introduced in Chapter Three. Chapter Four shows how two verb lemma lists can be made by using the Wordsmith Tools supported by other corpus and IT tools. How to make sense of the verb lemma lists is the focus of the second part of this chapter. Chapter Five deals with the individual forms of verbs and the findings suggest that there is less homogeneity in the learner English than the NS English. Chapter Six extends the research to verb–noun relationships in the learner English and the NS English and the result shows that the learners prioritise verbs over nouns. Chapter Seven studies the learners’ preferences in using the patterns of KEEP compared with those of the NSs, and finds that the learners have various problems in using this simple verb. In this chapter, too, my reservations about the traditional use of ‘overuse’ and ‘underuse’ are expressed and a finer classification system is suggested. Chapter Eight compares another frequently-occurring verb, TAKE, in the aspect of collocates and yields similar findings that the learners have problems even with such simple vocabulary. In Chapter Nine, the research findings from Chapter Four to Chapter Eight are revisited and discussed in relation to the theme of the thesis. The concluding chapter, Chapter Ten, summarises the previous chapters and envisages how learner language studies will develop in the coming few years

영어 학습자 대화에 사용된 일반확장어 연구: 한국인과 중국인 화자 대화를 중심으로

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 인문대학 영어영문학과, 2023. 2. Park, Yong-Yae.본 연구는 한국인 영어 학습자와 중국인 영어 학습자 사이에서 행해진 5시간 가량의 대화자료를 바탕으로 영어의 일반확장어(general extenders: (and) stuff (like that), (or) something (like that), and and so on 등과 같은 표현) 사용을 분석한 것이다. 이를 위해 먼저 영어 수준이 상이한 각 집단 내 학습자들의 일반확장어 사용 빈도를 살펴보고 두 집단 간의 결과를 비교한 후 대화분석(conversation analysis)을 사용하여 두 집단이 사용하는 일반확장어의 기능을 분석하였다. 숙련도의 측면에서 살펴보면, 두 집단의 중하급(low-intermediate) 수준에 해당하는 학습자들이 일반확장어를 가장 적게 사용하는 것으로 나타났다. 한국인 학습자들은 영어 수준과 무관하게 순접(adjunctive) 일반확장어보다 역접(disjunctive) 일반확장어를 더욱 사용하는 경향이 있는 반면, 중국인 학습자들은 두 가지 형식을 비슷한 빈도로 사용했다. 대체로 학습자들은 일반확장어의 사용에서 원어민과 다른 방식을 보였는데, 일반확장어를 상당히 적게 사용하고 제한된 형식만을 사용했다. 또한 학습자가 사용하는 일반확장어에는 잘못 쓰인 것과 함께 학습자의 모국어 간섭을 받은 듯한 형식도 발견되었다. 뿐만 아니라 학습자들은 특정확장어(specific extenders)에 의지하는 경향을 보였는데 이는 영어의 일반확장어에 대한 학습자의 지식 부족을 드러낸다고 볼 수 있다. 반면, 학습자들이 사용하는 일반확장어의 기능은 제한적이지만 선행 연구에서 논의된 것과 상응하게 네 가지 대화적 기능을 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 지시적으로 (i) 카테고리를 시사하고 (ii) 리스트를 끝내는 기능이 있으며 대인적으로 (i) 불확실함과 (ii) 엔터테인먼트를 표시하는 기능이 있다. 개인적인 기능으로는 (i) 최소한의 기대나 상대의 예상과 반대되는 것을 표시하고 (ii) 부정적인 평가를 최대화하고 (iii) 무관심을 표시하는 기능을 사용했다. 텍스트적으로는 (i) 대화의 말차례를 넘겨주고 (ii) 새로운 주제를 제안하는 기능을 가진다. 잘못 쓰인 형식과 학습자들이 의존하는 형식들이 일반확장어가 전형적인 기능으로 수행하는 것을 방해하지 않는 듯하지만 영어 의사소통에는 큰 도움이 되지 않는 것으로 보인다. 일반확장어의 형식에는 다양한 것들이 존재하지만 특정한 형식은 언어 사용의 사회적 측면과 관련하여 특정 기능만을 수행하기 때문이다. 학습자들은 사회적 및 대인적 맥락에서 효율적인 의사소통을 위해 영어를 사용할 때에 이를 인식하고 활용할 수 있어야 한다. 그러므로 학습자들은 어떤 형식의 일반확장어가 존재하고 이들이 어떤 기능을 가지는지, 그리고 서로 다른 형식들이 원어민에게서 어떻게 사용되는지를 학습해야 한다. 더불어 일반확장어의 사용은 유창성과 연결되는데 학습자로 하여금 발화를 생산하는 동시에 다음 발화에 대한 계획을 가능하게 하여 학습자의 부담을 줄여준다. 이는 일반확장어라는 화용적 표현의 학습과 교수가 EFL 교육 및 교육과정을 계획하는 데 반영되어야 할 필요성을 나타낸다고 볼 수 있다.The present study, drawing on approximately 5-hour long conversation data, investigates how Korean and Chinese learners of English use general extenders, e.g., (and) stuff (like that), (or) something (like that), and and so on, during conversation. To achieve the above, the study first details the frequency distribution of the forms of general extenders by learners of different L1s at different English proficiency levels, and compares the attained distributional results between Korean and Chinese learners. Second, the study analyzes the functions of general extenders that are resorted to by these two groups of learners by employing conversation analysis as its analytical tool. In terms of the frequency across proficiency levels, low-intermediate learners from both groups use the least general extenders. As for preferred forms, Korean learners, regardless of proficiency levels, use more disjunctive general extenders than adjunctive ones. Chinese learners, on the other hand, use both types nearly equally. Learners, in general, do not use general extenders in the same way as native speakers do; they substantially underuse general extenders and use fewer variants. Among the used, there are forms that are misused, and forms that suggest L1 influence. Furthermore, they also call upon more specific extenders. All of these are indicative of their lack of knowledge regarding, if not complete unawareness of, general extenders in English. On the other hand, the functions by general extenders that learners use, though limited, mirror those affirmed in the literature, and substantiate that general extenders, indeed, have functions in four conversational domains. Referentially, they function to (i) implicate a category and (ii) complete a list. Interpersonally, they function to (i) mark uncertainty and (ii) mark entertainment. Personally, they function to (i) mark something as minimum expectation or contrary to ones expectation, (ii) maximize a negative extreme value, and (iii) mark indifference. Textually, they function to (i) yield a turn and (ii) proffer a new topic. The forms that are misused and those that are influenced by speakers L1 do not seem to be restricted from performing many typical functions of general extenders. Such forms, however, do not facilitate communication in English. This is because certain forms of general extenders in English may be used to carry out specific function(s) that is/are related to the social aspects of language use. Learners have to be able to recognize and exploit them when they speak English for efficient interactions within social and interpersonal contexts in order for the development and maintenance of personal and professional relationships. Learners, therefore, need to be made aware of what forms of general extenders exist, what functions these forms can have, and how different forms are used in a native-like manner. Additionally, general extenders are linked to aspects of fluency. They contribute to reducing learners pressure imposed by the need to plan ahead while simultaneously producing speech on-line. All these point towards the need for pedagogical intervention in EFL teaching and curriculum planning in terms of facilitating the learning and teaching of this set of pragmatic expressions.Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Background and Motivation 1 1.2. Organization of the Study 5 Chapter 2. Literature Review 6 2.1. General Extenders 6 2.1.1. Structures of GEs 7 2.1.2. Functions of GEs 11 2.1.2.1. Referential Function 12 2.1.2.2. Interpersonal Function 19 2.1.2.3. Personal Function 27 2.1.2.4. Textual Function 35 2.1.3. The Use of Adjunctive and Disjunctive GEs by NSs 38 2.2. The Use of GEs by Learners of English 43 2.3. Conversation Analysis 47 Chapter 3. Data and Methodology 51 3.1. Participants and Conversation Data 51 3.2. CA as Methodological Framework 54 3.3. Ethical Consideration 61 Chapter 4. Analysis 63 4.1. Distribution of GEs 63 4.2. Functions of GEs 70 4.2.1. Referential functions 71 4.2.1.1. Implicating a category 71 4.2.1.2. Completing a list 74 4.2.2. Interpersonal functions 78 4.2.2.1. Marking uncertainty 78 4.2.2.2. Marking entertainment 83 4.2.3. Personal functions 85 4.2.3.1. Marking expectations 85 4.2.3.2. Maximizing a negative extreme value 89 4.2.3.3. Marking indifference 91 4.2.4. Textual functions 92 4.2.4.1. Yielding a turn 92 4.2.4.2. Proffering a new topic 95 4.3. Multifunctionality of GEs 98 Chapter 5. Discussion and Conclusion 104 References 117 Appendices 128 국문초록 153석

The phraseology of phrasal verbs in English: a corpus study of the language of Chinese learners and native English writers

The aim of this study is to supplement existing research on phraseology in learner language by exploring the behaviours of phrasal verbs, a notorious hurdle for learners of English. This thesis compares a Chinese learner corpus (CLEC) with an English native speakers’ corpus (LOCNESS), with a reference corpus, the Bank of English (BoE), being consulted where necessary. A series of quantitative and qualitative investigations are conducted on phrasal verbs: calculation of frequency distribution and type-token ratios; identification of phraseological information, including collocation, semantic preference, semantic sequence and prosody. The results are discussed in full. Additionally, a framework utilising degrees of idiomaticity and restriction strength to group phrasal verbs is proposed and the issue of distinguishing synonymous counterparts is tackled as well. The results generally indicate that Chinese learner language tends to have more phrasal verb tokens but fewer types than written native speaker English does. Detailed case studies of phrasal verbs show, however, that the phraseological behaviours of phrasal verbs as used by learners are so individualised that the findings are mixed. Learner uses are characterised by idiosyncrasies of different phraseological units, suggesting that the links (between lexis and lexis, or lexis and concepts) in the lexicon of L2 are different from those in L1

Applying corpus pattern analysis to learner corpora: investigating the pedagogical potential of the pattern dictionary of English verbs

This thesis contributes to research in learner corpora by offering a novel approach to their analysis. Specifically, it uses the concepts in the Pattern Dictionary of English Verbs (PDEV), that is, corpus pattern analysis (CPA), to describe selected learner corpora. The thesis analyses and compares the use of 16 verbs in two sections of the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE; ICLE-Swedish and ICLE-Chinese) and in the native-speaker Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays (LOCNESS) using the descriptions of those verbs presented in PDEV. The thesis demonstrates that the concepts in PDEV can be used successfully to describe the association between the patterns and meanings of verbs in both learner and native-speaker corpora to a degree that is not possible with other models. It argues that teachers can use PDEV to identify divergent patterns of verbs produced by their learners, and thus employ it as a tool for raising learners’ awareness, in the classroom, of conventional and divergent verb patterns. In addition, verb patterns that are under- or over-represented in the learner corpora when compared with the native-speaker corpus are identified and reasons for these phenomena are offered. Overall, the thesis concludes that the approach to verb patterning articulated in corpus pattern analysis is of value to teachers and learners because of the detailed attention it pays to meaning, but that some adjustments to PDEV will need to be made for it to be maximally useful to learners

Using data mining to repurpose German language corpora. An evaluation of data-driven analysis methods for corpus linguistics

A growing number of studies report interesting insights gained from existing data resources. Among those, there are analyses on textual data, giving reason to consider such methods for linguistics as well. However, the field of corpus linguistics usually works with purposefully collected, representative language samples that aim to answer only a limited set of research questions. This thesis aims to shed some light on the potentials of data-driven analysis based on machine learning and predictive modelling for corpus linguistic studies, investigating the possibility to repurpose existing German language corpora for linguistic inquiry by using methodologies developed for data science and computational linguistics. The study focuses on predictive modelling and machine-learning-based data mining and gives a detailed overview and evaluation of currently popular strategies and methods for analysing corpora with computational methods. After the thesis introduces strategies and methods that have already been used on language data, discusses how they can assist corpus linguistic analysis and refers to available toolkits and software as well as to state-of-the-art research and further references, the introduced methodological toolset is applied in two differently shaped corpus studies that utilize readily available corpora for German. The first study explores linguistic correlates of holistic text quality ratings on student essays, while the second deals with age-related language features in computer-mediated communication and interprets age prediction models to answer a set of research questions that are based on previous research in the field. While both studies give linguistic insights that integrate into the current understanding of the investigated phenomena in German language, they systematically test the methodological toolset introduced beforehand, allowing a detailed discussion of added values and remaining challenges of machine-learning-based data mining methods in corpus at the end of the thesis

The effects of data driven learning on Iranian EFL learners' writing skills development

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a Data Driven Learning (DDL) approach on Iranian EFL learners' writing skills development and their attitudes towards the approach. A pre-test post-test control group design supplemented by a set of interviews and a questionnaire was employed to collect the required data. The control group received instructions through a conventional method while the experimental group received a certain number of classroom concordance-based handouts in addition to the conventional method. It was found that the DDL group participants can improve their declarative knowledge more than the Non-DDL group. Regarding analytic scoring, the results show that the DDL participants have improved their ‘language use’ features more than the Non-DDL group. This finding has been supported by the results obtained from analysing the ‘Accuracy’ measures. In the CAF analysis, lack of improvement in 'Complexity' features of the learners' performance and slight regression in mean length of T units and mean length of clause was explained as an indication of a trade-off between accuracy and fluency. Results obtained from qualitative data showed the participants’ positive attitudes towards the DDL approach. It was also found that DDL-based materials can help teachers in getting learners involved with learning through 'noticing'

Reading As A Disclosure Of The Thoughts Of The Heart: Proto-Halakhic Reuse And Appropriation Between Torah And The Prophets

How should we then live? This has been the guiding question throughout the study. In a world that offers a myriad of answers to this one question, I have sought the answer in the Bible, more specifically in the Hebrew part of the Bible. Instead of asking the straightforward question as to how the Bible can function as norm for contemporary ethics, the following discussion is based on the assumption that an authentic reading and appropriation of the text needs both to understand and to emulate the ways in which the biblical authors read the Bible. While scholars have examined separately biblical law, reuse within the Bible, and the memorization of revered texts in the ANE, I have tried to combine these three areas in an attempt to clarify how biblical authors read normative texts. This study is divided into three parts: in the first part, I argue that Torah is best characterized as normative covenantal instruction, and that Torah and the Latter Prophets (hereafter Prophets) participated in a scribal culture that did not conform to our standards of literary exactness. In the second part, I have selected four cases where we find parallels between Torah and the Prophets: (1) Divorce and Remarriage in Deut 24:1–4 and Jer 3:1–10, (2) Sabbath Instructions in Exod 20:8–11; Deut 5:12–15 and Jer 17:19– 27, (3) Manumission Instructions in Exod 21:2–11; Lev 25:10, 39–46; Deut 15:12–18; and Jer 34:8–22, and (4) Fasting in Lev 16; 23; 25 and Isa 58:1–14. Finally, I discuss Jer 7 and Ezek 18 as these cases display a different type of reuse than the preceding four. I have limited myself to cases where reuse and direction of dependence can be demonstrated with reasonable confidence, in order to give an adequate basis for a discussion of how normative texts were appropriated in each of the specific cases. In the third part, I include a hermeneutical and philosophical reflection on reading as a disclosure of the thoughts of the heart. Repetition with variation is typical in texts that reuse a normative text. Neither conflict nor harmony can adequately explain this phenomena. In the borrowing text, we rather see a close reading that reads its source(s) expansionistically. There is an interpretative response interwoven with the reading along with various trajectories the borrowing author would have viewed as indicated in the very source(s) themselves. We find a challenge both to a literalistic reading that confines meaning to the plain sense of the text on the one hand, and to a more free or creative reading not fully responsible to the text on the other. The cases studied attest to the importance of an immersion into the normative texts in order to clarify how we should live; these cases also demonstrate the need for finding new life through texts and forms of life that creatively reuse the biblical text while all the while staying rooted in the ancient words

Figural Realism

Originally published in 1998. In his earlier books such as Tropics of Discourse and The Content of the Form, Hayden White focused on the conventions of historical writing and on the ordering of historical consciousness. In Figural Realism, White collects eight interrelated essays primarily concerned with the treatment of history in recent literary critical discourse. "'History' is not only an object we can study," writes White, "it is also and even primarily a certain kind of relationship to 'the past' mediated by a distinctive kind of written discourse. It is because historical discourse is actualized in its culturally significant form as a specific kind of writing that we may consider the relevance of literary theory to both the theory and the practice of historiography.