Startseite Linguistik & Semiotik Chapter 1.2. Corpus-based research on English in Africa
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Chapter 1.2. Corpus-based research on English in Africa

A practical introduction
  • Robert Fuchs , Bertus van Rooy und Ulrike Gut
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Corpus Linguistics and African Englishes
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Corpus Linguistics and African Englishes

Abstract

This chapter provides linguists and students not yet familiar with corpus-based research on varieties of English in Africa with a practical introduction to the field. After explaining the rationale and aims of corpus-based research on varieties of English (in Africa), we introduce methods, tools and resources commonly used and applied in the field in order to provide readers with a point of entry into the field. Most of the corpora and software that are introduced can be obtained free of charge. The software is introduced in a practical way to permit readers to use it in their own research. The application and value of corpus linguistics are exemplified with three case studies. These examples are based in part on previous research, retracing the methodological steps, but are also expanded with more data from across Africa. Case study 1 shows how corpora allow researchers to investigate lexical differences between African varieties of English, arguably an area that is amenable to scholarly inquiry with relatively limited methodological means. Case study 2 considers a grammatical phenomenon, the present perfect in African Englishes, and demonstrates how a corpus tagged for parts of speech permits syntactic analyses. Case study 3 illustrates the analysis of a phonological corpus with an investigation of the optional deletion of the phoneme /h/ in words such as house in Nigerian English. The chapter concludes with recommendations for further reading, allowing readers to explore selected topics in more depth according to their interests.

Abstract

This chapter provides linguists and students not yet familiar with corpus-based research on varieties of English in Africa with a practical introduction to the field. After explaining the rationale and aims of corpus-based research on varieties of English (in Africa), we introduce methods, tools and resources commonly used and applied in the field in order to provide readers with a point of entry into the field. Most of the corpora and software that are introduced can be obtained free of charge. The software is introduced in a practical way to permit readers to use it in their own research. The application and value of corpus linguistics are exemplified with three case studies. These examples are based in part on previous research, retracing the methodological steps, but are also expanded with more data from across Africa. Case study 1 shows how corpora allow researchers to investigate lexical differences between African varieties of English, arguably an area that is amenable to scholarly inquiry with relatively limited methodological means. Case study 2 considers a grammatical phenomenon, the present perfect in African Englishes, and demonstrates how a corpus tagged for parts of speech permits syntactic analyses. Case study 3 illustrates the analysis of a phonological corpus with an investigation of the optional deletion of the phoneme /h/ in words such as house in Nigerian English. The chapter concludes with recommendations for further reading, allowing readers to explore selected topics in more depth according to their interests.

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Corpus linguistics and corpus building
  6. Chapter 1.1. What is corpus linguistics? 7
  7. Chapter 1.2. Corpus-based research on English in Africa 37
  8. Chapter 1.3. The purpose, design and use of the Corpus of Nigerian and Cameroonian English Learner Language (Conacell) 71
  9. Chapter 1.4. Introducing a corpus of English(es) spoken in post-independence Namibia 97
  10. Chapter 1.5. The historical corpus of English in Ghana (HiCE Ghana) 119
  11. Chapter 1.6. Addressing a coverage gap in African Englishes 143
  12. Chapter 1.7. Practical corpus linguistics 165
  13. Part II. Corpus-based analysis of African Englishes
  14. Chapter 2.1. Evaluating explanations for past-time reference with unmarked verb forms in African Englishes 185
  15. Chapter 2.2. The use of stance markers in West African Englishes 205
  16. Chapter 2.3. Namibian English on the web 231
  17. Chapter 2.4. Lexical expansion in Ghanaian English from a diachronic perspective 259
  18. Chapter 2.5. Capturing the lexicon of Ugandan English 293
  19. Part III. Applications of corpora in English language teaching and learning
  20. Chapter 3.1. A corpus-based analysis of conjunctive cohesion in English essays of Nigerian university learners 331
  21. Chapter 3.2. African corpora for standards in African academic English 355
  22. Chapter 3.3. Semiotic signature of transformation in a diachronic corpus of a South African political party 373
  23. Index 401
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.88.03fuc

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Corpus linguistics and corpus building
  6. Chapter 1.1. What is corpus linguistics? 7
  7. Chapter 1.2. Corpus-based research on English in Africa 37
  8. Chapter 1.3. The purpose, design and use of the Corpus of Nigerian and Cameroonian English Learner Language (Conacell) 71
  9. Chapter 1.4. Introducing a corpus of English(es) spoken in post-independence Namibia 97
  10. Chapter 1.5. The historical corpus of English in Ghana (HiCE Ghana) 119
  11. Chapter 1.6. Addressing a coverage gap in African Englishes 143
  12. Chapter 1.7. Practical corpus linguistics 165
  13. Part II. Corpus-based analysis of African Englishes
  14. Chapter 2.1. Evaluating explanations for past-time reference with unmarked verb forms in African Englishes 185
  15. Chapter 2.2. The use of stance markers in West African Englishes 205
  16. Chapter 2.3. Namibian English on the web 231
  17. Chapter 2.4. Lexical expansion in Ghanaian English from a diachronic perspective 259
  18. Chapter 2.5. Capturing the lexicon of Ugandan English 293
  19. Part III. Applications of corpora in English language teaching and learning
  20. Chapter 3.1. A corpus-based analysis of conjunctive cohesion in English essays of Nigerian university learners 331
  21. Chapter 3.2. African corpora for standards in African academic English 355
  22. Chapter 3.3. Semiotic signature of transformation in a diachronic corpus of a South African political party 373
  23. Index 401
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