Corpus Analysis Research Articles

Of Mouses and Mans: A Test of Errorless Versus Error-Based Learning in Children.

For both adults and children, learning from one's mistakes (error-based learning) has been shown to be advantageous over avoiding errors altogether (errorless learning) in pedagogical settings. However, it remains unclear whether this advantage carries over to nonpedagogical settings in children, who mostly learn language in such settings. Using irregular plurals (e.g., "mice") as a test case, we conducted a corpus analysis (N = 227) and two preregistered experiments (N = 56, N = 99), to investigate the potency of error-based learning as a mechanism for language acquisition in 3- and 4-year-old children. The results of the corpus analysis showed that incidental feedback after errors, in the form of caregivers' reformulations of children's errors, was relatively infrequent, had modest informational value, and was rarely used by children to correct their errors immediately. The following two experiments contrasted error-based learning with errorless learning, where the correct utterance was modeled for the child before a potential error was committed. The results showed that error-based learning was not always effective, and when it was, it was certainly not superior to errorless learning. Collectively, these findings question the extension of the benefits of error-based learning from pedagogical to nonpedagogical settings and define constraints under which one mechanism may be more beneficial to learning than the other.

An image-based investigation on color associations among 100 Chinese emotion words

ABSTRACT Image data serves as a valuable resource for investigating relationships between colors and emotions. This study conducts an image-based visual corpus analysis on the color associations of 100 Chinese emotion words, aiming to uncover the pivotal roles of colors in understanding emotional concepts. The study addresses two primary objectives: (i) examining the interrelations among four affective properties (valence, arousal, prototypicality, and emotionality) and four image-based color attributes (Jz: a dimension depicting black–white color distinction, Az: a dimension for green-red, Bz: a dimension for blue–yellow, and color variability) associated with these emotion words; and (ii) assessing the efficacy of image-based color information in profiling affective (dis)similarities among different emotion words. The empirical results reveal (i) significant positive correlations between color variability and arousal, Jz and valence, Az and arousal, Bz and valence, as well as a negative correlation between Jz and prototypicality; (ii) the effectiveness of image-based color information in depicting the valence-dominated affective (dis)similarities among the 100 Chinese emotion words. This study contributes image-based empirical support to complement existing research on color-emotion mappings. Moreover, it advances methodological approaches by advocating for the utilisation of image data to address theoretical inquiries in cognitive science.

Phrase Frame Use in EFL Learners’ Argumentative Essays: A Corpus-Based Comparative Study

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the features and development of multi-word formulaic sequences for foreign language learners in the field of second language acquisition. While considerable amount of research has been conducted on continuous formulaic sequences both domestically and abroad, scant attention has been rendered to discontinuous phrase frames. Adopting a corpus linguistic perspective, the current study compares and analyses second language learners from different backgrounds with native speakers, focusing on the phrase frame features identified in the argumentative essays written by Chinese and German EFL learners. With a corpus-based approach, the four-word phrase frames are extracted from the English TOEFL essay texts of Chinese and German students using AntConc 4.1.4 corpus analysis software. The top 100 most frequently occurring phrase frames are manually filtered and then classified according to their structural and functional features to identify similarities and differences in terms of overall frequency, structure, and function features of phrase frames between two groups of learners and with those of native writers. The findings reveal that L2 learners significantly employ more fixed and predictable phrase frames than their native writers, with German L2 learners using more phrase frames than their Chinese L2 counterparts. In terms of functional features, German L2 learners use more stance and discourse organizing expressions than Chinese L2 learners. Awareness of the essay genre, English proficiency, and the time-limited writing environment are contributing factors to these features. Therefore, the study suggests that the accuracy and variety of phrase frame usage are more representative of L2 learners’ acquisition and writing quality than their quantity of use. This study facilitates an understanding of different EFL learners’ phraseological competence through the lens of their p-frame use and provides pedagogical insights accordingly into teaching and learning argumentative essays in EFL contexts.

Pronouns in Welcome: Linguistic Construction of Student Identity in Chinese University Banners

This study explores the nuanced role of pronoun usage in welcome banners at Chinese universities and examines its influence on freshmen’s identity construction within the cultural context of China. Employing a systematic collection and analysis of a corpus of welcome banners, the research utilizes corpus analysis and word frequency statistics to investigate how pronoun choices shape and reinforce freshmen’s sense of identity. The findings highlight the significant impact of linguistic subtleties on the orientation activities at Chinese universities, influencing freshmen’s social integration and identity formation. By illuminating the linguistic characteristics of Chinese welcome banners, this research provides empirical evidence of how cultural and linguistic contexts affect student identity through orientation activities. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersection between language, culture, and identity in higher education.

Exploring the evolution of the concept of liberty in the U.S. presidential inaugurals

Abstract As daily news unveils, fundamental human values such as equality and liberty can be expressed through various terms influenced by multiple factors, reaching significant levels of disparity, ambiguity and controversy, particularly in specific socio-political contexts. This article employs advanced corpus analysis tools to examine the lexical and semantic configuration of the “right to liberty” as expressed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and as North American presidents have transmitted it throughout their presidential inaugural addresses. The corpus of speeches is analyzed diachronically to identify the prevalent terms, connotations, and associated semantic categories and observe their differences and evolution. This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the concept of liberty in this context and highlights its startling malleability in American politics.

Dystopian Visions and the Making of Privacy Law

This article explores the role of references to dystopian literature in the context of developing privacy laws. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of a large corpus of legislative and judicial texts from Germany and the United Kingdom, I demonstrate that references to popular dystopian works of fiction like Orwell’s 1984 have animated and shaped the legal recognition of privacy. Specifically, dystopian visions are evoked as reasons that warrant the legal protection of privacy rights. I explore lawmakers’ vision of a technologically empowered totalitarian state and discuss how these connect to historical, contemporary, and hypothetical examples of unjust regimes. I argue that literary imaginations of dystopia are often themselves built on historical experience, suggesting that the aptness for social critique is, as literary critics suggest, built into dystopia as a genre. I furthermore explore how the theme of democracy is employed as a counterpoint to fears of dystopian totalitarianism. Portraying privacy invasions as harmful to democratic ideals discursively amplifies their dangerousness—and thereby works to justify regulatory intervention. My research findings prompt us to view legal norms as a cultural artifact that reflect cultural imagination and literary narratives.

Analysis of the Affixoid "霸" in Modern Chinese

The affixoid is a linguistic unit in modern Chinese that lies in the middle ground between roots and affixes, and research on the ontology of class affixes, a class of class affixes and a specific class of affixes has already yielded some results. In this paper, we have selected "霸", which has received relatively little attention from previous researchers. In the course of the paper, the main methods used are documentary research, combination of description and interpretation, and corpus analysis. The paper begins with a definition of the affixoid "霸" in the light of previous research on the definition of affixes, explaining the basic features of the affixoid "霸" and classifying its derivatives. This is followed by a specific analysis of the class affixoid "霸" and its derivatives in terms of syntax, semantics and pragmatics. The grammaticalization process of the affixoid "霸" is then analyzed in order to show how people's mental states and situations change.

Unveiling public perceptions at the beginning of lockdown: an application of structural topic modeling and sentiment analysis in the UK and India

BackgroundThe appearance of the COVID-19 virus in December 2019, quickly escalated into a global crisis, prompting the World Health Organization to recommend regional lockdowns. While effective in curbing the virus’s spread, these measures have triggered intense debates on social media platforms, exposing widespread public anxiety and skepticism. The spread of fake news further fueled public unrest and negative emotions, potentially undermining the effectiveness of anti-COVID-19 policies. Exploring the narratives surrounding COVID-19 on social media immediately following the lockdown announcements presents an intriguing research avenue. The purpose of this study is to examine social media discourse to identify the topics discussed and, more importantly, to analyze differences in the focus and emotions expressed by the public in two countries (the UK and India). This is done with an analysis of a big corpus of tweets.MethodsThe datasets comprised of COVID-19-related tweets in English, published between March 29th and April 11th 2020 from residents in the UK and India. Methods employed in the analysis include identification of latent topics and themes, assessment of the popularity of tweets on topic distributions, examination of the overall sentiment, and investigation of sentiment in specific topics and themes.ResultsSafety measures, government responses and cooperative supports are common themes in the UK and India. Personal experiences and cooperations are top discussion for both countries. The impact on specific groups is given the least emphasis in the UK, whereas India places the least focus on discussions related to social media and news reports. Supports, discussion about the UK PM Boris Johnson and appreciation are strong topics among British popular tweets, whereas confirmed cases are discussed most among Indian popular tweets. Unpopular tweets in both countries pay the most attention to issues regarding lockdown. According to overall sentiment, positive attitudes are dominated in the UK whilst the sentiment is more neutral in India. Trust and anticipation are the most prevalent emotions in both countries. In particular, the British population felt positive about community support and volunteering, personal experiences, and government responses, while Indian people felt positive about cooperation, government responses, and coping strategies. Public health situations raise negative sentiment both in the UK and India.ConclusionsThe study emphasizes the role of cultural values in crisis communication and public health policy. Individualistic societies prioritize personal freedom, requiring a balance between individual liberty and public health measures. Collectivistic societies focus on community impact, suggesting policies that could utilize community networks for public health compliance. Social media shapes public discourse during pandemics, with popular and unpopular tweets reflecting and reshaping discussions. The presence of fake news may distort topics of high public interest, necessitating authenticity confirmation by official bloggers. Understanding public concerns and popular content on social media can help authorities tailor crisis communication to improve public engagement and health measure compliance.

Exploring child marriage in Yemen: a critical analysis of an Arab media corpus

Exploring child marriage in Yemen: a critical analysis of an Arab media corpus

Corpus linguistics will benefit from greater adoption of pre-registration: A novice-friendly split-corpus approach to pre-registration

In this brief article, I contend that the field of corpus linguistics stands to gain significantly from an increased adoption of pre-registration. Pre-registration serves to constrain the almost infinite degree of analytic freedom inherent in corpus analysis, thereby enhancing the transparency, reliability, and potential impact of corpus research. While pre-registration is increasingly popular in fields such as psychology and medicine, its uptake in corpus linguistics remains notably limited. To facilitate the transition toward pre-registration, I describe a straightforward split-corpus approach, ideally suited for corpus linguists new to pre-registration and for both hypothesis-testing and exploratory research. This method involves dividing a corpus into an exploratory set (20–40 % of the corpus) and a confirmatory set (the remaining 60–80 %). The exploratory set allows researchers to freely generate hypotheses and develop analysis plans, while the confirmatory set is then used for a more structured and objective analysis according to the pre-specified protocols. By employing this approach, corpus linguists can effectively balance exploratory flexibility with the rigour of confirmatory analysis, boosting the reliability of corpus findings. An increased uptake of pre-registration may not only bolster recognition of corpus linguistics as a robust empirical field, but it may also encourage a stronger emphasis on the building of cumulative knowledge.

Is Transitivity Register-specific? A Corpus Exploration of Online Science News

This paper deals with parsing and exploring transitivity in ten online science news articles in one of the leading national broadsheets in the Philippines. The corpus analysis used two software applications: AntConc and UAM Corpus. Specifically, this study compared the transitivity features of ten online science news with the transitivity features of non-science-based registers. The transitivity analysis of the science-based and the non-science-based registers has resulted in identifying and classifying the underlying semantic roles of Participants, Process types, and Circumstances. Identifying the semantic features across the registers has resulted in identifying the prominent and foregrounded features of transitivity in the corpus. This study reiterates that foregrounding is crucial in stylistic analysis of texts. The analysis has established that while the non-science-based registers use the six Process types, the science-based registers primarily use the Material and the Relational Process types. This disproportionate occurrence of the Process types, especially the non-use of the Behavioral process types, strongly corroborates the notion that transitivity is register-specific. The present study supports a systemic and functional stance that considers language a network of choices applicable across varied genres and registers. Also, this study recommends the use of software applications in language pedagogy. Finally, the findings may also facilitate teaching L2 academic writing and producing science-based materials.

The impact of COVID-19 on the debate on open science: a qualitative analysis of published materials from the period of the pandemic

This study is an analysis of the international debate on open science that took place during the pandemic. It addresses the question, how did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the debate on open science? The study takes the form of a qualitative analysis of a large corpus of key articles, editorials, blogs and thought pieces about the impact of COVID on open science, published during the pandemic in English, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. The findings show that many authors believed that it was clear that the experience of the pandemic had illustrated or strengthened the case for open science, with language such as a “stress test”, “catalyst”, “revolution” or “tipping point” frequently used. It was commonly believed that open science had played a positive role in the response to the pandemic, creating a clear ‘line of sight’ between open science and societal benefits. Whilst the arguments about open science deployed in the debate were not substantially new, the focuses of debate changed in some key respects. There was much less attention given to business models for open access and critical perspectives on open science, but open data sharing, preprinting, information quality and misinformation became most prominent in debates. There were also moves to reframe open science conceptually, particularly in connecting science with society and addressing broader questions of equity.

From second language acquisition research to foreign language teaching through the prism of corpora

Corpus linguistics can be seen as a set of methods applicable to different branches of linguistics. This article deals with the application of corpus linguistics (including learner corpus research) to second language acquisition (SLA) research and foreign language teaching (FLT). It describes the existing links between these frameworks, arguing that the combinations usually work in pairs. By contrast, the concept of corpus-based theory-to-practice paths is introduced as a way of combining the three frameworks. More precisely, SLA research and FLT are brought together through the prism of corpora, which can provide data to test and possibly refine SLA hypotheses and then form the basis for pedagogical materials that can help solve some of the issues brought to light by the corpus analysis. Illustrations of such paths are given that centre around input-driven inductive learning, the natural order hypothesis and language transfer.

Conventionalized phrases and disability policy: a corpus analysis of 2-year and 4-year public colleges in California

This corpus-based study analyzes the use of conventionalized phrases in disability policy. Specifically, it focuses on the three phrases made common by the Americans with Disabilities Act: qualified individual with a disability, reasonable accommodations, and interactive process. These three phrases are analyzed in the context of disability policy at 2-year and 4-year public colleges in California. A corpus of disability policies was created for each of these contexts and analyzed to better understand the varied implementation of conventionalized phrases across contexts. The study finds that the three phrases from the ADA have been diffused across higher education disability policies in the corpora created and are highly conventionalized in these contexts. Additionally, these phrases can be used with slightly different valences depending on the context. These differences in use appear to be directly related to the relationship between the three phrases themselves and they mirror debates in disability policy such as that around the modal ‘may’ in relation to whether or not an institution implements an interactive process. Furthermore, institutional differences in the implementation of these phrases is potentially related to the stances institutions take towards disability and disability policy.

Introduction to the Proceedings of the 2023 Symposium ‘Historical English Word-Formation’

It has not yet been ten years since Klaus Dietz (2015: 1915) prophesised that "[f]uture research work [on historical word-formation in English] will profit by two kinds of new instruments: firstly, by the Dictionary of Old English (DOE) and its Web Corpus, by the Middle English Dictionary (MED) and by the nascent third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), and secondly, by new corpora of historical English." The proceedings of the 2023 symposium respond to those predictions in manifold ways. Under the heading ‘Historical English Word-Formation’, the organisers of the symposium intended to “bring together researchers studying diachronic English word-formation and to showcase current research in this area” (Majewski 2023: 287). Although no particular temporal, thematic, or methodological focus was asked for, the five essays provide answers to some of the general questions that the symposium had initially raised, namely: How have large-scale corpus analyses and respective computational tools helped us study diachronic changes in the formation of new words? Which recent insights are there into the frequency and productivity as well as the rules and restrictions of word-formation units and patterns in the history of English? Further, which roles do regional, social, medial, and other factors as well as text types and (non‑)literary genres play for the creation of new words? The five contributions to this special issue of ZWJW illustrate that, as Dietz had anticipated, the study of word formations in past stages of English has profited extremely from the advances made in computational research and Artificial Intelligence, yet they also delineate both their advantages and limitations.

Adoption of Life Cycle Thinking: Impact-driven comparative assessment of Japanese construction corporations’ trends in practices

Although life cycle thinking offers a well-founded set of concepts, methods, and tools for organizational contexts, only little is known about its relevance in the construction sector. In this sector, construction corporations are key players. In this work, a novel impact-driven method to assess the adoption of life cycle thinking by construction corporations is introduced. Japan, as a high-income country with a relatively long history of environmental policies informed by material flow analysis, is chosen as the context. Five Japanese construction corporations and respective reporting are used as case studies. Trends in environmental impacts over time of the case study corporations are assessed using two indicators: resource and carbon productivity. In comparison, an automated text corpus analysis workflow is presented to explore the corporate report’s life cycle thinking-related content in a meaningful way. Comparing the period of 2014–2018 and 2019–2023, an overall relative increase in framework adoptions (77%) and their integration in corporate categories (85%) in corporate reports indicates its increased procedural relevance among Japanese construction contractors. Findings show how the carbon indicator is embedded in various frameworks and, for instance, reveal an increased relevance of Scope 3 emissions as a framework on a low level. However, Scope 3 is also utilized as a performance indicator. To this end, considerable temporal differences in adoption practices are observed. Finally, a potentially effective corporate adoption model is identified through the comparative research design. The proposed method can be applied to other construction corporations and regional contexts.

Parental descriptions of sensory processing in Autism

BackgroundThe processing of sensory information in autistic people has a major impact on their daily lives. Current research faces challenges in fully capturing the heterogeneity of sensory profiles in autism, but caregiver perspectives could offer valuable insights, deepening our understanding of these differences in sensory experiences. The present study aimed to explore this sensory processing characterization based on the testimonies from caregivers of children and adults with autism to contribute to the knowledge obtained from answers to questionnaires. MethodsCaregivers of 15 participants with autism, aged between 4 and 34 years, participated in focus group sessions. Each session was conducted using open-ended questions on sensory processing, and their responses were analyzed by means of semantic analysis using NVivo software. ResultsA thematic analysis of the data corpus highlighted three themes of behavioral responsivity to sensory input as reported by parents: (1) sensory input, (2) sensory modulation, and (3) impact on daily life. Sensory input encompassed seven sub-themes related to sensory channels. Sensory modulation allowed for the identification of sub-themes such as sensory overload, emotional regulation, and regulation strategies. Finally, the theme of the impact on daily life highlighted sub-themes of reactions to change, feeding problems, and risk-taking behaviors. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that some identified aspects, such as stimming and sensory-seeking, sensory overload and regulation strategies could potentially be added to sensory evaluations.

A Corpus Analysis of Non-Contiguous Phraseological Patterns in the Discussion Section of Microeconomics Research Articles

A Corpus Analysis of Non-Contiguous Phraseological Patterns in the Discussion Section of Microeconomics Research Articles

Exploring Hedging in Spoken Discourse: Insights from Corpus Analysis

The present research deals with the phenomenon of hedging language, mainly focusing on the context of spontaneous verbal interactions. The main aim of the study is to analyze the occurrence of hedges in English spoken discourse as captured in the Spoken British National Corpus 2014. The research process deals with the differences in the usage of approximators and shields existing among men and women across different age groups and levels of education. The research methodology involves creating six sub-corpora, measuring hedge dispersion, examining selected hedges to ascertain their hedging function within the context and calculating frequencies within each sub-corpus. The research outcomes point to the prevalence of shields in spoken discourse. Plausibility shields are commonly used while attribution shields show lower usage. Adaptors contribute to mitigating certainty in utterances, whereas rounders play a less prominent role. These findings emphasize the nuanced interplay between linguistic strategies and speaker characteristics in spoken communication and highlight the importance of cooperative principles in discourse.

Emerging engineering scholars’ stance in citations

Abstract This paper presents a mixed-method study that integrates genre-based corpus analysis and discourse-based interviews to examine the form- and stance-related citation patterns in the research articles of ten first- and second-year engineering doctoral students. The corpus analysis reveals strong preferences for stance-marked citations and the proclaim and entertain devices in particular, suggesting that writers use authorial stance to endorse cited propositions or provide likelihood- or evidence-based judgments in citations. Interview results indicate a discordance between writers’ intentions and their stance-related linguistic choices, as well as varied perceptions of authorial stance. Despite the frequent use of stance markers in citations, most writers claimed to be neutral reporters of knowledge. Only a few acknowledged their strategic stance choices and demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the rhetorical roles citations play in their claim-making practices. The findings suggest that students with developing citation expertise lacked the academic and disciplinary expertise to understand the interplay among citations, authorial stance, and rhetorical move/step structures in their research writing. These writers could benefit from explicit feedback that raises their awareness of the strategic use of citations and stance, to facilitate the realization of rhetorical goals in research writing.