Reflections on Using Corpora Data in EFL Teaching CHEN BO Chongqing Jiaotong University 2006

Overview - Introduction - Theories review (some controversies) - Applications (concordance-based methodology) - Reflective comments

Introduction - Corpora have a profound and positive impact on ELT (Granger, 2002, Leech, 1997) - Doubts about the usage of corpora data in language teaching. Argument: Corpora data have pedagogic importance in EFL teaching, especially in the areas of vocabulary and grammar, if some pedagogic issues are carefully taken into account. Key concepts:

corpus corpus-based language study concordance-based methodology Direct access to authentic language data, exploratory, learner- centered inductive learning data-driven learning: “the use in the classroom of computer- generated concordances to get students to explore regularities of patterning in the target language, and the development of activities and exercises based on concordance output” (Johns & King, 1991, iii, cited in Granger and Tribble, 2002, p. 198)

Theories review Controversies Widdowson (2000)  corpus analysis reveals a reality about language usage  corpus can only record the textual traces of discourse  corpus analysis is only a partial account of real language  partial description is problematic when it is directly applied to determine language prescription of pedagogic use. (representativeness)  descriptive texts in corpora are decontextualized (corpora of spoken language V.S. corpora of written language)

Aston (1995) “…contextual repetition (leading to synthesis) and variation (leading to analysis) are the key to acquisition… The learner needs to be presented with materials and methods which encourage restructuring, allowing the formation of schemata which may progressively approximate the varied (and varying) multiple representations of native speakers. Corpus-based methods have proved to be a powerful means of highlighting patterns of repetition and variation in text.” (p. 263)

 Concordance can present relatively heterogeneous multi-texts and multi-contexts to provide an opportunity for learners to notice, infer and generalize the linguistic rules.  Concordance-based methodology can fit into the new learning theories and the current trend in language teaching constructivism – learner-centeredness, exploratory learning Leech (1997) “the student-centered paradigm of ‘discovery learning’ can scarcely be better exemplified than through the use of the computer corpus.” (p.3) form-focused activities + communicative language teaching (accuracy + fluency)

Applications Concordance – learners infer and generalize the linguistic rules and flexible than highly organized textbooks and more organized than the chaotic authentic language uses. (Johns, 1986) 1. observing colligation or collocation (pre-printed concordance output focusing on some lexical or grammatical features) 2. gap-filling (cloze) (concordance output with the node taken away) 3. text-reconstruction 4. Johns (1986, 2002) 5. learner corpora - parallel NS/Non-NS concordance of error-prone items (Granger & Tribble, 1998) - advanced learners conduct researches on learner corpora.

Reflective Comments Complicated formulation of queries (difficult for learners) Generalization of the regularities (teachers’ guidance: suggestive instead of prescriptive) Modified corpora data or raw corpora data (corpora data should be treated differently according to objectives, tasks and contexts) “concordances need to be carefully edited to help learners find the relevant features” (Granger, 2002, p.209) Concordance-based methodology seems likely to be more successful with advanced learners (Granger, 2002) Positive effects of concordance-based methodology on primary school children’s learning (size, difficulty, presentation mode of the concordance output, learning style, cognitive ability, language proficiency)

References Aston, G., (1997). Enriching the learning environment: corpora in ELT. In G. Knowles, T.McEnry, S.Fligestone, & A.Wichman, (eds) Teaching and language corpora (pp.51-66). Longman. …..(omitted) Widdowson, H., (2000). On the limitations of linguistics applied. Applied Linguistics, 21, 1:3-25

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