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Income/interest/net : Using internal criteria to determine the aboutness of a text

Abstract

This paper describes the application of a corpus-driven approach to the learning and teaching of phraseology in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It describes two specialised corpora which have been compiled, using texts from the fields of economics and financial services, with the aim of providing resources for the study of the patterns and uses of English language specific to these fields. This paper demonstrates an innovative method to provide an initial indication of the aboutness of two texts, each drawn from a different specialised corpus. First, the search engine ConcGram© is used to identify the phraseological patterns specific to each text. The phraseological patterns found in each of the texts are then compared with those of each of the specialised corpora, and finally compared with those of a reference corpus of general English usage. This iterative process provides an indication of the aboutness of the texts. The process itself and the findings have important implications for ESP, especially if the students are the ones who generate the results.

Abstract

This paper describes the application of a corpus-driven approach to the learning and teaching of phraseology in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It describes two specialised corpora which have been compiled, using texts from the fields of economics and financial services, with the aim of providing resources for the study of the patterns and uses of English language specific to these fields. This paper demonstrates an innovative method to provide an initial indication of the aboutness of two texts, each drawn from a different specialised corpus. First, the search engine ConcGram© is used to identify the phraseological patterns specific to each text. The phraseological patterns found in each of the texts are then compared with those of each of the specialised corpora, and finally compared with those of a reference corpus of general English usage. This iterative process provides an indication of the aboutness of the texts. The process itself and the findings have important implications for ESP, especially if the students are the ones who generate the results.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction: Corpora and language teaching 1
  5. Part 1. Corpora and second-language acquisition
  6. The contribution of learner corpora to second language acquisition and foreign language teaching: A critical evaluation 13
  7. Some thoughts on corpora and second-language acquisition 33
  8. Part 2. The direct corpus approach
  9. Who benefits from learning how to use corpora? 47
  10. Oslo Interactive English : Corpus-driven exercises on the Web 67
  11. Corpus research and practice: What help do teachers need and what can we offer? 83
  12. Part 3. The indirect corpus approach
  13. Themes in Swedish advanced learners' writing in English 101
  14. Thematic choice and expression of stance in English argumentative texts by Norwegian learners 121
  15. The usefulness of corpus-based descriptions of English for learners: The case of relative frequency 141
  16. Part 4. New types of corpora
  17. Income/interest/net : Using internal criteria to determine the aboutness of a text 157
  18. New types of corpora for new educational challenges: Collecting, annotating and exploiting a corpus of textbook material 179
  19. The grammar of conversation in advanced spoken learner English: Learner corpus data and language-pedagogical implications 203
  20. Index 231
Corpora and Language Teaching
This chapter is in the book Corpora and Language Teaching
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.33.15che

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction: Corpora and language teaching 1
  5. Part 1. Corpora and second-language acquisition
  6. The contribution of learner corpora to second language acquisition and foreign language teaching: A critical evaluation 13
  7. Some thoughts on corpora and second-language acquisition 33
  8. Part 2. The direct corpus approach
  9. Who benefits from learning how to use corpora? 47
  10. Oslo Interactive English : Corpus-driven exercises on the Web 67
  11. Corpus research and practice: What help do teachers need and what can we offer? 83
  12. Part 3. The indirect corpus approach
  13. Themes in Swedish advanced learners' writing in English 101
  14. Thematic choice and expression of stance in English argumentative texts by Norwegian learners 121
  15. The usefulness of corpus-based descriptions of English for learners: The case of relative frequency 141
  16. Part 4. New types of corpora
  17. Income/interest/net : Using internal criteria to determine the aboutness of a text 157
  18. New types of corpora for new educational challenges: Collecting, annotating and exploiting a corpus of textbook material 179
  19. The grammar of conversation in advanced spoken learner English: Learner corpus data and language-pedagogical implications 203
  20. Index 231
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