CONCORDANCING AND LANGUAGE LEARNING

(Data-Driven Language Learning)

 by Betsy Kerr

What is concordancing?

CORPUS

An electronically-formatted text or set of texts, that represents a certain type of real-world languge use, written or oral (transcription of recordings)

CONCORDANCER

A computer program that generates a CONCORDANCE, a list of all occurrences of a given word or expression in the given corpus, with the context in which it occurs.

Concordancing allows us to:

  1. Look at authentic language samples and zero in on a particular feature, whether it be lexical or grammatical, and to discover the patterns which characterize the use of that item in discourse.
  2. Compare patterns in different types of discourse: spoken vs. written; literary, journalistic, administrative texts; etc.
  3. Take the burden off the teacher or the reference grammar to 'know the answer', by engaging the learner in discovering how the language works.

 

SPECIFIC USES OF CONCORDANCING

 

  1. As a grammar reference, for the teacher's own personal language learning (Web search engines: www.yahoo.fr, Google).
  2. For research that can guide the development of pedagogical materials (textbooks): what features should be taught when? Example: variant interrogative forms in conversation.
  3. Actual concordances can be used as the basis for exercises and activities:
  1. Students can do their own research with a concordancer or Web search engine.

 

For Bibliography and Useful Links for Data-Driven Learning, go to: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~bjkerr/CSC_DDL_Bib.htm

 

Updated 03/07/03
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