Formulating research topics: corpora in the EFL learning and teaching

1
Formulating research topicscorpora in the EFL
learning and teaching

• Li Wenzhong
• Corpus Application Center
• Henan Normal University
• 2009

2
Perspectives and scope

• Language in focus
• Learning in focus
• Teaching in focus
• Use of technology

3
Language in focus

• Word-based analysis
• a \S of
• a-zA-Z\da-zA-Z\da-zA-Za-zA-Z\da-
  zA-Z (??????)
• (corpus4u, p2p, 1st, wordlist1, 220y)
• Category-based analysis
• ?????????
• (\S_J\S)\s\S_N\S
• (\S_\S\s)\1 (??/????)
• Observe sentences.?(,_,).?(\1.?)\r\n

4
Discourse in focus

• Globaliz(s)ation vs. globeny
• Global warming

5
Learning in focus RQs

• What characterizes the learner language in a
  given learning community?
• collocates knowledge?
• (\S_V\S\s)(\S_\S\s)0,2(knowledge_N\S)
• How are the learner language features related to
  the community features?
• How are the learner accomplishments formed on a
  progressive route?
• What are the areas (of the learner language)
  under development in a given community?

6
Learning in focus RQs

• What differentiates one group of learners from
  another?
• To what extent does LL analysis affect the
  formative assessment of the learner achievement?

7
Teaching in focus RQs

• To what extent is the selection of the input
  materials determined by the corpus research?
• What functions and effects does classroom
  concordancing have on the students learning?
• What characterizes the teacher talk?
• How does the use of corpus in the classroom
  contribute to the students metalanguage ability?
• Explore the possibility of using the multimedia
  corpus.

8
Project proposals

• Corpus in an e-learning environment
• Parallel corpora for translation studies
• Specialized corpora
• How special? Lexis, structure, discourse?
• What uses? Research, teaching, learning,
  development.
• Chinese-English interface studies