Corpus Linguistics Work Station
What is Corpus Linguistics?
Corpus linguistics is a form of research that uses linguistics software to investigate large collections of texts. Researchers look for words, phrases, and linguistic patterns that can only be seen using this software. This software is available for other SLA professors and students to do their own research for capstones, graduate school projects, and more!
The new workstation was made possible by a GGC Seed Grant and is comprised of a single large-screen Dell desktop computer, which has been outfitted with specialized corpus research software. The grant was gifted to Dr. Dan Vollaro, who will be using the research station to do a corpus project (or, creating a database of texts, able to be used for research) on Henry David Thoreau.
What Does The Research Station Consist Of?
The computer station features several software packages that help with corpus linguistics projects, including AntConc, The Prime Machine, Wordless, and WordCruncher. AntConc works with language corpora using a graphical user interface and provides details about the text inside of one or multiple text files. The application can be used to create concordances, conduct sophisticated word searches, and compare corpora. The Prime Machine is a useful tool for examining the contexts in which words occur. Wordless is an integrated software application that is designed to make corpus research accessible to non-technical users.