Corpus Linguistics: Investigating Language Structure and Use

Cambridge Approaches to Linguistics

by Douglas Biber, Susan Conrad, Randi Reppen

This book is about investigating the way people use language in speech and writing. It introduces the corpus-based approach to the study of language, based on analysis of large databases of real language examples and illustrates exciting new findings about language and the different ways that people speak and write. The book is important both for its step-by-step descriptions of research methods and for its findings about grammar and vocabulary, language use, language learning, and differences in language use across texts and user groups.

Genres: Linguistics, Language

Paperback

First published April 23, 1998

About the author

Douglas Biber: Regents’ Professor in the Applied Linguistics Program (English Department) at Northern Arizona University.

Reviews

[path · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overall introduction to corpus linguistics. Reading this as a beginner, I found the opening to be quite useful in outlining the possible and actual applications of corpus analytic techniques. Although many applications of corpus analysis are for the detailed study of language, variation, and change, the same kinds of close analysis of lexical, grammatical, and syntactical variation can be scaled up to examine broader language phenomena, such as registers and stylistics. The second section of the book provides some illustrative case studies of how corpus analysis can be scaled up to examine phenomena like literary style, language acquisition, and specialized pragmatic uses of language. The methodological section that finishes off the book is very helpful in thinking about how to build and analyze corpora of one's own.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a big fan of this book but I have to admit that if you are interested in corpus linguistics this is your book. Very informative and productive for beginners.

[Mark A.]

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