LEARN Conference 2010

Utilizing Corpus Analysis

Software in Language Teaching
Presented by

Minyung Song
Evaluation Division

Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Apr. 29, 2010
 OUTLINE

■ Introduction of Corpus and Corpus Linguistics.

■ How to use Corpus Analysis Software.

■ Discuss the applications of the software to

language teaching.
 Corpus

• “a collection of naturally occurring

language text [in electronic form],
chosen [and processed in a
systematic manner] to characterize a
state of variety of a language”

(John Sinclair, 1991, Corpus Concordance Collocation, p.171)

 Examples

• Brown Corpus (1964, 1 mil)

• British National Corpus (1994, 100 mil)
 Large vs. Small Corpus

• Large Corpus:
To seek facts about fluency, naturalness, and idiomaticity of language
from a general perspective (e.g. Brown Corpus).

• Small Corpus:
To seek language patterns from a suitably specific point of view.
1) Learnable Corpus:
Delimited by the respective fluency levels of learner groups.

2) Specialized Corpus:
Delimited by a specific register, discourse domain, or subject matter.
 Corpus Linguistics

• The goal is to discover patterns of

authentic language through analysis of
actual usage,

• as opposed to Chomsky’s introspection

grammar.
 Patterns

• Word Frequency
• Concordance: Key-Word-In-Context (KWIC)
• Collocation: Language Chunk
 Corpus Analysis Software

• MonoConc Pro
• WordSmith
• AntConc
 AntConc

• Easy to download the program and instruction:

http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/software.html.

• Free, however, if the software is planned for group use, users are
required to inform the author of how the software will be used, so that
permission to use it can be determined.

• Don’t have to be installed on the computer.

It is convenient, since some computer network systems prohibit the
installation of program files on the computer.
Interface
 ► Preparation ◄
- Text -
Target text files (e.g. MS Word documents) have to be
saved as text files (.txt).

PROCEDURES
a) Highlight and copy a target text from the source. (e.g.
Donga Daily Newspaper)
b) Paste the text on MS Word.
c) Save the text as text file (.txt) on the computer.

Please see the next slides for details.

 Text: Highlight & Copy Text
1) Highlight a target text from the source. (e.g. Donga Daily Newspaper)
by pressing, holding, and dragging the left click of the mouse
over the text.
2) Copy it by pressing Ctrl-C on the keyboard.
 Text: Paste text on MS Word
3) Open MS Word.
4) Paste text on MS Word by pressing Ctrl-V on the keyboard.
 Text: Save the text as text file (.txt)
5) Click on “File” on the Menu of MS Word.
6) Select “Save As.”
 Text: Save text as below
7) A window “Save As” pops out.
8) Put a file name (e.g. Editorial) on the blank of “File name.”
Note: The file name must be written in English.
9) Go to “Save as type” below the “File name.”
10) Select “Plain Text.”
11) Click on “Save.”
 Text: Convert Text into Korean .txt file
12) A window “File Conversion” pops out.
13) Select “Other encoding.”
14) Select “Korean.”
15) Click on “OK.”
 ► Preparation ◄
- Encoding in AntConc -

• The correct encoding for the target language has to be specified

from “Language Encodings” within “Global Settings” in AntConc.

• Procedures:
1) Click on “Global Settings.”
2) Go to “Language Encodings.”
3) Click on “Edit.”
4) Go to “Korean Encodings.”
5) Select “Korean (euc-kr).”
6) Click on “Apply.”

Please see the next slides for details.

 Encoding in AntConc
1) Click on “Global Settings”
2) Then, a window “Global Settings” pops out.
 Encoding in AntConc
3) Select Korea (euc-kr) as below.
4) Click on “Apply.” Now, ready to go!
 AntConc: Open Files

1) Click on “File.”
2) Go to “Open File(s).”
(e.g. FLO topics: politics, education, leisure, environment)

3) Select target file(s).

4) Click on “Open.”
See Four Files Uploaded
Word List
Making Word list on Excel

1) Click on “Save Window.”

2) A window pops out.
 Copying Word list on Excel
Procedures:
1) Place the cursor on the screen of the popped-out window.
2) Highlight all words by pressing Ctrl-A on the keyboard.
3) Select all words by pressing Ctrl-C on the keyboard.
4) Open Excel.
5) Paste all words by pressing Ctrl-V on the keyboard.
Sample: Word list
 Concordance
1) Move the cursor over the target word “혐의로”.
2) The cursor image will change into a hand icon. Click
on the search word “혐의로”.
Concordance: Sample
Concordance: Making Quiz
1) Put the cursor on the KWIC screen.
2) Press “X” on the keyboard.
 Copy the Quiz on MS Word
Follow the previous procedures, “Copying Word list on Excel.”
Applications of Corpus Analysis

• Language Teaching & Learning

• Translation
• Linguistics & Language Research
 Corpus Analysis in Language Teaching

• Know what should be taught.

– Word frequency
– Comparing native and learner corpora
• Use Corpus as a resource.
– e.g. vocabulary list, CLOZE tests
• Know where problems are.
– Error analysis on a learner corpus
What’s the difference b/w ‘at last’ and ‘in the
end’? How is ‘hardly’ used?
 Source

• Song, Minyung. (2008). “Utilizing Corpus Analysis Software in

Language Teaching and Learning.” Bridges
https://portal.monterey.army.mil/org/FacultyDev/Pages/Bridges.aspx
 References

-Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman
grammar of spoken and written English. London: Longman.
-Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic wordlist. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213-238.
-Ghadessy, M., Henry, A., & Roseberry, R.L (Eds). (2001). Small corpus studies and
ELT. Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
-Hinkel, E. (2004). Teaching academic ESL writing. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.
-Sinclair, J. (1991). Corpus concordance collocation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

-세종말뭉치 검색: http://www.sejong.or.kr/

-AntConc: http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/software.html
-Compleat Lexical Tutor (for frequency & vocabulary): http://www.lextutor.ca/
-KAIST Concordance Program: http://morph.kaist.ac.kr/kcp/
-Corpus Linguistics: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/courses/ling/corpus/

Thank you!!!
This speech/presentation is authorized by the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language
Center and the Department of Defense. Contents of this presentation are not necessarily the
official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the
Army, or the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center