Course syllabus

This course is taught online via Zoom.

In this course, students will practise testing hypotheses about language using real data and, by means of computer-based tools, study how language is actually used. The course offers an introduction to empirical approaches to the study of language, specifically those developed within corpus linguistics. The topics examined will be relevant to areas such as lexicography and semantics; pragmatics and discourse; variation studies. We will examine variation and change across registers, dialects and modes, and evaluate linguistic norms from the perspective of usage data. Students will gain practical experience in using corpora and software for data analysis and for solving their own language queries. Degree projects can be linked to this course.

On completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• apply core corpus linguistic methods for linguistic research;
• show a raised awareness of how language is used lexically, semantically, grammatically, and pragmatically in authentic communicative contexts;
• show a deeper understanding of variation in the English language, based on variables such as register and spoken/written modes;
• critically evaluate prescriptive language norms from the perspective of usage data;
• account for the main concepts and fundamental ideas in corpus linguistics;
• design and carry out a small-scale research project based on corpus linguistic methods and present it orally and in writing.

Students will be involved in the following teaching and learning activities:

• active reading and reflecting on the literature selected for the course;
• attending interactive lectures;
• working individually and in groups on tasks in class and outside of class;
• working individually on a small research project on a relevant topic;
• preparing and giving a presentation on the research project;
• participating actively in a mini-conference by giving feedback to fellow students;
• writing a term paper on the research project.

We hope you engage in inspiring, interesting, and challenging discussions with your teachers and fellow students. 

The course guidelines, including the timetable, can be found here.

	Course Syllabus			Contact information
	Reading List			Jonathan White Course Coordinator and Teacher jwh@du.se