Advanced Studies in English: Corpus Linguistics

Cross listed with Lingst 4001-02

Ever wondered how linguists can discover patterns across millions of words, what patterns in language can reveal about literary texts, or how AI systems like chatbots “learn” about language? In this course, you’ll explore corpus linguistics, the study of language through large collections of real-world texts, called “corpora.” We’ll examine how these corpora are built and used, and you’ll gain hands-on experience uncovering patterns in vocabulary, grammar, and meaning using computer-based corpus tools. We’ll start with simple techniques and gradually build toward more advanced analyses—no programming or computational experience is needed.

Along the way, you’ll see how corpus analysis can shed light on literary texts; how language varies across contexts such as social media, journalism, and academic writing; how it reflects social factors such as identity and group membership; how dictionaries and language teaching materials are created; and how language changes over time. There are no prerequisites for this course, and students from all majors are welcome.