Corpus linguistics : method, theory and practice / Tony McEnery, Andrew Hardie [book]

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-291) and index

1. What is corpus linguistics? ; 2. Accessing and analysing corpus data ; 3. The web, laws and ethics ; 4. English corpus linguistics ; 5. Corpus-based studies of synchronic and diachronic variation ; 6. Neo-Firthian corpus linguistics ; 7. Corpus methods and functionalist linguistics ; 8. The convergence of corpus linguistics, psycholinguistics, and functionalist linguistics ; 9. Conclusion

"Corpus linguistics is the study of language data on a large scale - the computer-aided analysis of very extensive collections of transcribed utterances or written texts. This textbook outlines the basic methods of corpus linguistics, explains how the discipline of corpus linguistics developed, and surveys the major approaches to the use of corpus data. It uses a broad range of examples to show how corpus data has led to methodological and theoretical innovation in linguistics in general. Clear and detailed explanations lay out the key issues of method and theory in contemporary corpus linguistics. A structured and coherent narrative links the historical development of the field to current topics in 'mainstream' linguistics. Practical activities and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter encourage students to test their understanding of what they have read and an extensive glossary provides easy access to definitions of technical terms used in the text"