This episode offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to Corpus Linguistics, the data-driven approach to studying language through extensive, computerised collections of real-world texts. Moving beyond intuition and prescriptive rules, the discussion explains how corpus linguistics enables scholars to observe how language is actually used across contexts, registers, and time.
Beginning with a clear definition of corpus linguistics as a methodology rather than a theory, the episode explores the principles of corpus design, the nature of linguistic corpora, and the core analytical techniques of concordance, frequency analysis, and collocation. It introduces primary tools such as AntConc, Sketch Engine, and WordSmith Tools, alongside key English corpora including the British National Corpus (BNC) and the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), showing how these resources reveal patterns in grammar, vocabulary, and cultural usage.
The episode also examines the practical applications of corpus linguistics in language teaching, lexicography, and translation, demonstrating how modern dictionaries, syllabi, and pedagogical materials are grounded in corpus evidence. Finally, it situates corpus linguistics within contemporary developments in Natural Language Processing and AI, highlighting its foundational role in data-driven language technologies.
Designed for UG and PG students, teachers, and applied linguistics learners, this episode functions as a definitive study guide, illustrating why corpus linguistics has become indispensable for understanding language as a living, evolving system grounded in actual use.