A critical view on the use of corpora
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John M. Swales
Abstract
Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan (United States), John Swales initially warns his readers that he is not an insider when it comes to the foundations of Corpus Linguistics. Perhaps this detachment allows him to report on how he changed his understanding of the corpus approach from a science to a methodology. Although he worked with both the Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English (MICASE) and the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP), Swales argues against the idea that the corpus approach should be the only one available to researchers. In fact, he holds that they need to be free to choose what better suits their research objectives. In his specific questions, Swales also comments on the role of corpora in the study of genres, academic literacy and pedagogy, and contrastive rhetoric.
Abstract
Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan (United States), John Swales initially warns his readers that he is not an insider when it comes to the foundations of Corpus Linguistics. Perhaps this detachment allows him to report on how he changed his understanding of the corpus approach from a science to a methodology. Although he worked with both the Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English (MICASE) and the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP), Swales argues against the idea that the corpus approach should be the only one available to researchers. In fact, he holds that they need to be free to choose what better suits their research objectives. In his specific questions, Swales also comments on the role of corpora in the study of genres, academic literacy and pedagogy, and contrastive rhetoric.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword ix
- Preface xi
- Applied Corpus Linguistics and the learning experience 1
- Social involvement in Corpus studies 17
- Corpus Linguistics in South America 29
- Variation in corpora and its pedagogical implications 47
- Synchronic and diachronic uses of corpora 63
- Methodological and interdisciplinary stance in Corpus Linguistics 81
- Looking through corpora into writing practices 99
- A multilingual outlook of corpora studies 115
- Corpus Linguistics and Translation Studies 131
- Principles and applications of Corpus Linguistics 155
- Philosophical and literary concerns in Corpus Linguistics 171
- A two-way exchange between syntax and corpora 197
- The technological aspect of Corpus Linguistics 213
- A critical view on the use of corpora 221
- The politics of Corpus Linguistics 229
- About the contributors 247
- Index 253
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword ix
- Preface xi
- Applied Corpus Linguistics and the learning experience 1
- Social involvement in Corpus studies 17
- Corpus Linguistics in South America 29
- Variation in corpora and its pedagogical implications 47
- Synchronic and diachronic uses of corpora 63
- Methodological and interdisciplinary stance in Corpus Linguistics 81
- Looking through corpora into writing practices 99
- A multilingual outlook of corpora studies 115
- Corpus Linguistics and Translation Studies 131
- Principles and applications of Corpus Linguistics 155
- Philosophical and literary concerns in Corpus Linguistics 171
- A two-way exchange between syntax and corpora 197
- The technological aspect of Corpus Linguistics 213
- A critical view on the use of corpora 221
- The politics of Corpus Linguistics 229
- About the contributors 247
- Index 253
