Applications of corpus analysis in EAP research learning

Applications of corpus analysis in EAP: research, learning, and teaching Martin Hewings The University of Birmingham m. j. hewings@bham. ac. uk

Outline of talk • Corpus analysis in EAP research • Students learning from corpora: Data-driven learning and an alternative • Teachers learning from corpora: Classroom applications

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Features of 23 JEAP ‘corpus’ papers • Paper types – 18 corpus analyses • Corpus content – 13 writing; 4 speech; one both; journal articles predominant; focus on single soc sci disciplines • Corpus types – mainly expert/ published • Focus of analysis – mainly particular lexical/ grammatical features

JEAP papers Corpus papers

Corpus papers Typically… • written corpora • expert/ published corpora • particular (soc sci) disciplines • lexical/ grammatical focus

Corpus research for EAP: the future? Typically… • written corpora • more speech & CMC • more learner corpora • expert/ published corpora • more sci disciplines/ more comparison • greater number of areas of investigation • particular (soc sci) disciplines • lexical/ grammatical focus

Corpora as resources for learners: datadriven learning (DDL) DDL: • exposes students to ‘target’ language forms • provides authentic examples • provides information beyond dictionary or grammar • encourages inductive learning • encourages learner autonomy

Lee & Swales (2006): DDL “…an exceptional group of students – highly acculturated into the genres of their discourse communities, mostly on the way to their Ph. Ds, eager to perfect their English, possessing of advanced computer skills, and perfectly comfortable with quantitative data. ”

DDL: some reservations • lack of evidence to link DDL to language improvement • are the outcomes worth the time, effort and money? • it doesn’t suit all students

Selecting corpus data for students (as an alternative to DDL) • An example: MBA students’ use of ‘I’ • ‘Research article (RA) corpus’: 120, 000 words • ‘MBA corpus’: essays, 22, 000 words

MBA corpus on TV or from magazine, more consumption of fuels. world imports composition. In the future osing a million dollars. So ector. As a result of this, mports appeared. After 1987, mports about one third. But er. As a result, therefore, more than other commodities. ervices" and is intangible. veloped in the next future. world. But, before I go on, ore detail analysis, I think a long term point of view, I I I I am in the opinion that service am almost certain that there believe services commodities believe there will be a new believe services commodities w can predict that there will do not think that there was a don't think it will grow so expect that the countries expect service industry will feel that the intangible personally see the above idea should make a point. After should take deeper consideratio suppose the composition of

MBA corpus on TV or from magazine, more consumption of fuels. world imports composition. In the future osing a million dollars. So ector. As a result of this, mports appeared. After 1987, mports about one third. But er. As a result, therefore, more than other commodities. ervices" and is intangible. veloped in the next future. world. But, before I go on, ore detail analysis, I think a long term point of view, I I I I am in the opinion that service am almost certain that there believe services commodities believe there will be a new believe services commodities w can predict that there will do not think that there was a don't think it will grow so expect that the countries expect service industry will feel that the intangible personally see the above idea should make a point. After should take deeper consideratio suppose the composition of

Journals: published writing RA corpus uring the estimation period. I y. The question: When should I (SVR) metric (in all cases), I he wall' statements such as 'I on environment. In addition, I Size Test. In this section, I y perennial question: should I as a long way from reality: 'I ep asking themselves, 'How do I y? By information technology I I were doing this what would I ed per ASR No. 190. That is, I e key questions such as: 'If I h domestically and globally. I also computed Patell's (1976, p. buy? has one logical answer: choose to present only the result don't care how you do it, just do examine several subhypotheses bas first test the hypothesis of diff invest now or wait for the just did not want to be part of a know? What evidence is there? ' Th mean the hardware and software, c need? ' Another useful heuristic r test the hypothesis that inflatio were doing this what would I need will, therefore, focus more on th

Journals: published writing RA corpus uring the estimation period. I y. The question: When should I (SVR) metric (in all cases), I he wall' statements such as 'I on environment. In addition, I Size Test. In this section, I y perennial question: should I as a long way from reality: 'I ep asking themselves, 'How do I y? By information technology I I were doing this what would I ed per ASR No. 190. That is, I e key questions such as: 'If I h domestically and globally. I also computed Patell's (1976, p. buy? has one logical answer: choose to present only the result don't care how you do it, just do examine several subhypotheses bas first test the hypothesis of diff invest now or wait for the just did not want to be part of a know? What evidence is there? ' Th mean the hardware and software, c need? ' Another useful heuristic r test the hypothesis that inflatio were doing this what would I need will, therefore, focus more on th

Journals: published writing RA corpus uring the estimation period. I y. The question: When should I (SVR) metric (in all cases), I he wall' statements such as 'I on environment. In addition, I Size Test. In this section, I y perennial question: should I as a long way from reality: 'I ep asking themselves, 'How do I y? By information technology I I were doing this what would I ed per ASR No. 190. That is, I e key questions such as: 'If I h domestically and globally. I also computed Patell's (1976, p. buy? has one logical answer: choose to present only the result don't care how you do it, just do examine several subhypotheses bas first test the hypothesis of diff invest now or wait for the just did not want to be part of a know? What evidence is there? ' Th mean the hardware and software, c need? ' Another useful heuristic r test the hypothesis that inflatio were doing this what would I need will, therefore, focus more on th

Teachers learning from corpora: checking intuitions What adverbs come before… ……. similar but not ……. different? ……. different but not …. . similar? ……. similar or ……… different?

…similar • closely …different • radically …similar/ different • essentially

…similar • closely • roughly • reasonably …different • radically • totally • vastly …similar/ different • essentially • rather • strikingly

Teachers learning from corpora: checking intuitions • it is [adjective] to-infinitive • it is [adjective] that • Cambridge Corpus of Academic English (CCAE); about 400 million words of published academic written text (& about 1 million words of speech)

Teachers learning from corpora: checking intuitions • it is [adjective] to-infinitive • it is [adjective] that 48, 170 24, 115

it is [adjective] to crucial difficult helpful important necessary possible safe straightforward > 4000 times possible 7784 important 5019 difficult 4345 necessary 4103 < 500 times straightforward 481 crucial 282 helpful 255 safe 194

it is [adjective] that clear interesting likely notable possible significant surprising true > 1000 times < 300 times clear 5284 possible 4116 likely 2561 true 1170 significant surprising interesting notable 257 251 235 206

Teachers learning from corpora: discovering new information

Some nouns have a related adjective ending: • -ic base – basic (not basical) • -ical astrology – astrological (not astrologic) • -ic or –ical analysis – analytic/ analytical

analytical problematical geographical technological

analytic 9, 721 analytical problematical geographical technological 12, 107

analytic 9, 721 analytical problematic 11, 042 problematical geographical technological 12, 107 551

analytic 9, 721 analytical problematic 11, 042 problematical 551 geographic 4, 403 geographical 9, 322 technological 12, 107

analytic 9, 721 analytical 12, 107 problematic 11, 042 problematical 551 geographic 4, 403 geographical 9, 322 technologic 47 technological 8, 750

-ic or –ical ? ecological and geographical (rather than ecological and geographic) taxonomic and geographic (rather than taxonomic and geographical)

technologic or technogical? TV and other viewing media are very important in this most technologic era. …in this most technological era. In the early IVF literature, patient experiences of infertility are outlined as negative, requiring a technologic solution. Vast majority from ‘medicine and health’

Teachers learning from corpora: finding authentic examples catastrophic – risk – event • Premature discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy markedly increases the risk of stent thrombosis, a catastrophic event that frequently leads to MI and/or death. • A final important difference related to the nature of the risk may be that some workplace mortality risks tend to involve sudden, catastrophic events, whereas air pollution-related risks tend to involve longer periods of disease and suffering prior to death.

The corpus as a source of authentic examples: catastrophic – risk - event • • …risk of a catastrophic event such as… (GS= 16) …there is always a risk of …. (GS= 4, 670) …such as forest fire… (GS= 616) …such as forest fire or flood (GS= 1) Into the material: • There is always a risk of a catastrophic event such as forest fire or flood.

From corpus research to teaching materials: ‘on the surface’

From corpus research to teaching materials: ‘below the surface’

From corpus research to teaching materials: ‘below the surface’

Applications of corpus analysis in EAP: research, learning, and teaching Martin Hewings The University of Birmingham m. j. hewings@bham. ac. uk