Corpus Linguistics Research Articles

The portrayal of Rohingya refugees in Indonesian news media: A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis

This research investigated the representation of Rohingya refugees stranded in Aceh province in the Indonesian news media during the four-year crisis between 2020 and 2023. The study aimed to examine how Rohingya refugees were represented in the media during the crisis using the Critical Discourse Analysis and the Discourse Historical Approach (DHA). The research employed a mixed method analysis to analyse the corpus data of 46,769 words extracted from 62 news articles published in two mainstream Indonesian publications, namely the regional Serambi Indonesia and the national Jakarta Post, between June 24, 2020, and March 27, 2023. Using corpus linguistics and Van Dijk’s CDA, the research uncovered four prominent argumentation strategies used in the media to portray the refugee crisis. Serambi Indonesia and the Jakarta Post utilised the Humanitarianism and Administration argumentation the most, concentrating on precarious conditions and efforts to handle the influx of refugees. Nevertheless, the local daily Serambi Indonesia used some Threat/Danger argumentation, portraying refugees as dangers and threats to local safety. The study further reveals how the media’s alignment with the government agenda is decisive for the press to construct public narratives. The narrative is expected to influence people’s attitudes and behaviours toward refugees in the province of Aceh.

MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF THE IRAQI KURDISTAN REGION DURING THE REFERENDUM: A LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS

This study conducted a linguistic analysis of the media representation of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region during the Kurdistan Referendum on September 25, 2017. The research aimed to bridge two methodologies: corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis. By examining how the media portrayed the Iraqi Kurdistan Region during the referendum, this study shed light on the linguistic dimensions of media coverage and the issues surrounding the referendum. Data were collected from six different news sites worldwide and analysed using corpus tools through AntConc. The findings showed that Western media outlets in the United Kingdom and the United States, including BBC News, CNN, Fox News, and Sky News, represented the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Referendum negatively. In contrast, Rudaw, a local media channel in Iraqs Kurdistan Region, provided a completely positive portrayal, while Al Jazeera maintained an unbiased attitude.

Corpus-based critical discourse analysis of NFT art within mainstream art-market discourse and implications for the political economy of digital art

The recent advent of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has profoundly disrupted the contemporary art market, but their status remains contested. While advocates tout the democratising potential of NFTs, critics dismiss them as a speculative bubble. This study elucidates the position of NFT art within mainstream art market discourse through an interdisciplinary analysis synthesising critical discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, and the political economy of art. Examining three key 2023 art market reports furnishes empirical insights into how influential institutions frame and valorise NFT art. Linguistic patterns reveal NFTs’ increasingly solid yet variable positioning across art market segments. NFT art appears well-integrated into mainstream discourse but remains emergent at the high end. The analysis reveals a complex picture, with the data showing both positive institutional framing and valorisation of NFT art, as well as the identification of ethical tensions and concerns around issues of accessibility, diversity, and sustainability within the NFT art market discourse. We find NFT art simultaneously amplifies and challenges existing hierarchies, creating new opportunities counterposed by risks.

Correction to: Advances in sign language corpus linguistics: exploring the frontiers of deaf studies and education.

Correction to: Advances in sign language corpus linguistics: exploring the frontiers of deaf studies and education.

Semantic Components of English Directive Speech Act Verbs (Order, Command, Instruct)

This research focuses on synonymous English speech act verbs that mean “giving order” (directive). The verbs analyzed in this study are those with very close synonymy, namely order, command, and instruct. The aim of this research is to describe in more detail the semantic behavior of the directive English speech act verbs through their semantic component. This semantics study is qualitative descriptive research. The data in this study were collected by using corpus linguistics and observation methods with note-taking techniques. The data source is the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). There are 300 citations for each verb analyzed, which making in total 900 citations analyzed in the study. The study found that the verbs order, command, and instruct has eight semantic features/components that differentiate those three verbs, namely the components of authority, the way of saying, form of order, the duration of orders, level of urgency, actor and undergoer positions, domain of use, compliance level.

ANALISIS VERBA ‘PUKUL’ DALAM KORPUS BAHASA INDONESIA: STUDI LINGUISTIK KORPUS

This research compares the derivatives of the word "ajar" in data in the Corpus Query Processor: LCC Indonesia 2023 and the latest edition of the Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI). The derivatives of the word "teach" that are identified are the differences and similarities in sentence patterns, sentiments and types of sentences. Corpus Query Processor: LCC Indonesia is a collection of digital texts that represent a particular language. This study is included in corpus linguistics studies, namely empirical studies of language using features such as concordance, collocations, N-grams, and word lists. The method used is a descriptive qualitative approach with in-depth analysis of lingual corpus data. The research results found 13 derivatives of the word "teach" in the verb class in the corpus, with 5 of them found in KBBI Edition VI. This difference in derivatives of the word "teach" indicates the possibility that some commonly used derivatives of the word have not been included in the KBBI. Another finding is that the sentence pattern of each derivative of the word "teach" has been clearly identified, indicating the subject, predicate, object, as well as any additional information that may be present. Actor and patient sentiments vary depending on the context of the sentence. However, generally, there is a positive sentiment towards the derivative of the word "teach", which indicates the act of learning or teaching that is considered good or useful.

Exploiting formulaic phrases to augment academic writing

A plethora of corpus linguistics studies have demonstrated that formulaic phrases are a fundamental aspect of successful academic writing. However, research also shows that pedagogical interventions building awareness of the crucial role of formulaic phrases in academic writing are limited (Davis & Morley, 2022). Drawing on the Academic Phrasebank, which is a widely known, online compendium of formulaic phrases developed by the University of Manchester, this article presents learning activities and targeted phrasebanks that highlight the importance of academic phraseology to enhance students’ academic writing performance.

Формальная модель оценки образа персонажа художественного произведения (на материале романа Дж. Оруэлла «1984»)

The aim of the research is to develop and test a formal model for evaluating the image of a character in a fictional work based on the corpus approach. The scientific originality lies in the fact that for the first time such an analysis of the character of a fictional work is carried out on the basis of the corpus approach. In the course of the work, a balanced corpus of the original text of the novel “1984” by G. Orwell was formed, which includes the marking of hierarchical relationships between the tokens. A number of search queries to the corpus were carried out using the author’s software “Balanced Linguistic Corpus Generator and Corpus Manager”. With the help of this tool, a frequency list of proper names from the novel was obtained and lists of tokens characterizing its main characters were output. The data obtained is extracted during the operation of a special algorithm built into the corpus manager, which selects from the text significant character traits and related lexical units. Thus, a model for evaluating the image of a character is built as a formal description of a system of interconnected hierarchical text elements. The results of the study were analyzed and compared with the results of mental interpretation. Thus, the characters’ profiles were compiled in terms of a formal description of their actions and those objects to which their actions were directed.

Incorporating cross-linguistic and time-based dimensions to Critical Metaphor Analysis: a specialised hands-on analytical approach

ABSTRACT Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) regards metaphor as a fundamental means of conceptualising the world, through which the ideology embedded in discourse can be unveiled. Drawing upon the methodologies of Critical Discourse Analysis and Corpus Linguistics, CMA comprises four principle stages: initially, contextual analysis for formulating research questions and selecting texts, followed by metaphor identification, interpretation, and explanation. This schematic four-stage CMA has found widespread applications in analyses of sensitive discourses, particularly political discourses. This study builds upon these schematic four stages, putting forward a more specialised, hands-on analytical approach that is well suited for a range of research objectives in translation and bi/multilingual settings where both cross-linguistic and time-based perspectives can be considered. To provide a step-by-step guide of this cross-linguistic and time-based analytical approach, this study presents two case studies of the Chinese newspaper Global Times’ Chinese-English bilingual COVID-19 reports in 2020. Specifically, metaphor translation and a time series analysis of the attitudinal intensity (strengthening, weakening, or keeping the negativity towards the pandemic unchanged) as manifested through the translation of WAR metaphors were explored. The study concludes by suggesting the application of this analytical approach to other types of metaphor correspondence and time-based analyses.

Research on Bullet Screen Discourse from the Perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis — A Case Study of Heaven Official’s Blessing on Bilibili.com

Based on corpus linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis, under Fairclough’s Three-dimensional Model, this paper studies bullet screens in the first episode of the first season of Heaven Official’s Blessing from description, interpretation and explanation.

A Corpus-Based Critical Discourse Analysis of News Reports on the 2023 Israel-Hamas War

This study analyzed news reports of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war in three media outlets (Al-Jazeera, China Daily, and CNN). An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas (Palestinian militant groups) has been taking place mainly in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. The 2023 Israel-Hamas war has been the most violent and deadliest for Palestinians in the history of the conflicts between Israel and Palestine. Such a severe global issue has attracted significant international concerns and has been reported extensively. However, due to different ideologies, media outlets used different language to describe the war. This study compiled three corpora with 1,586,438 words for a horizontal comparison and analysis. Combining corpus linguistics (CL) and critical discourse analysis (CDA), this study aimed to reveal how these three media outlets constructed language to depict the war, demonstrating their political stances and revealing their ideologies from a more comprehensive perspective. Based on the findings from analyzing the linguistic features of the three corpora, this study hopes to provide a framework and methodological implications for future studies on news reports, especially on war topics.

Corpus Linguistics for Health Communication: A Guide for Research. Gavin Brooks and Luke Curtis Collins

Corpus Linguistics for Health Communication: A Guide for Research. Gavin Brooks and Luke Curtis Collins

Thus Spoke a Couple: a Corpus-Based Content Analysis of Spousal Duties Fatwas

Abstract This study explores the topic of spousal duties within the Arab-Muslim world, using a corpus of fatwa inquiries to investigate how Muslim spouses perceive and negotiate their rights and duties within the marital relationship. Acknowledging the complexity of the causes underlying the failure to fulfill spousal rights, this study capitalizes on the rewarding potentials of digital tools by examining the questions posed by the mustaftīs (inquirers). A corpus of 150,000 fatwas, drawn from Islamweb.net and encapsulating approximately 11 million tokens, serves as the data for our analysis. Using the semantic network tool ConceptNet, a lexicon delineating spousal rights is created and employed to assess the prominence and relationships of certain themes in the dataset. Central themes – treatment, housing, financial support, sexual relationship, and obedience – emerge as the primary axes for examining the nuances of marital obligations and rights. The findings reveal the nuanced interplay between traditional norms and contemporary religious discourse, with implications for understanding gender roles and authority within Arab-Muslim marriages. The study confirms that while Shariʿah offers a foundational framework, there remains a need for context-specific interpretation, often sought through fatwa consultations. The study also underscores the potential of corpus linguistics to deepen our understanding of religious texts and their application to modern marital issues, advocating for further research into fatwas across different languages and cultures.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Using Corpus-Based Developed Materials in Vocabulary Learning for Saudi EFL Students

Many studies have employed corpus linguistics methodologies to gain insights into L2 learning and teaching. While these studies have contributed to a comprehensive theoretical understanding of corpus use in L2 instruction, particularly in vocabulary learning, there remains a gap in practical application, especially within the context of English as a Foreign/Second Language (EFL/ESL). Therefore, this paper empirically examined the effectiveness of using the corpus approach for EFL students’ vocabulary development and explored students’ attitudes toward using a corpus to develop their vocabulary. In a five-week experimental study, involving 24 Saudi EFL female students, participants were evenly divided into two groups: the control and experimental groups. These objectives were investigated using a mixed-method design, comprising both quantitative and qualitative approaches, which included pretests, posttests, questionnaires, and diaries for the experimental group only. Data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS program (v.25), incorporating T-tests and descriptive statistical analysis, alongside a descriptive analysis of learners’ diaries to corroborate the questionnaire findings. The findings showed that both groups revealed improved vocabulary during the study period based on the post-test results, but favored the experimental group that received the corpus-based approach. Furthermore, the attitudes questionnaire’s results showed most students held positive attitudes toward using the COCA corpus for vocabulary learning, despite facing some difficulties, which, as described in their weekly diaries, could be overcome over time through practice and training.

Compassion as appraisal, performative identity and moral affiliation

Abstract This article addresses the underexplored topic of compassion in digital activism through linguistic research. Utilising corpus linguistics and the SFL appraisal framework, the study initially analyses the lemma “compassion” and its appraisal nature within The Coronavirus Corpus. It then models compassion development as a social discursive process, taking Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS-Australia) campaigns as a case study, drawing on “communion” and “tendering” strategies, and positioning theory-based morality by linking structure to agency. The analysis provides evidence that the concept of “compassion” extends beyond triggered emotions, expressing institutionalised feelings. Compassion also develops through a moral affiliation process: aligning identities, positioning others within shared moral and sociocultural frameworks, and exhorting people towards purposeful social actions as commodities. This research underscores compassion’s normative (i.e. moral orders) core and performative essence.

Tindak Tutur Ekspresif dalam Novel Berbahasa Minangkabau Rindu Banda Sapuluah Karya Ermanto Tolantang: Metode Linguistik Korpus

This study aims to explain two main points of discussion, namely (1) types of expressive speech acts in the Minangkabau language novel Rindu Banda Sapuluah by Ermanto Tolantang and (2) expressive speech strategies in the Minangkabau language novel Rindu Banda Sapuluah by Ermanto Tolantang. This research uses qualitative research with descriptive method. The data in this study were obtained from the utterances containing expressive speech acts in the Minangkabau novel Rindu Banda Sapuluah by Ermanto Tolantang. Data collection techniques use documentation techniques with written sources, namely the Minangkabau language novel Rindu Banda Sapuluah by Ermanto Tolantang in the form of documents as a place for data collection, assisted by the corpus linguistics application KORTARA (Korpus Nusantara). The results showed that (1) there are twelve types of expressive speech acts, including joy, criticism, hatred, pleasure, misery, thanking, congratulating, apologizing, complaining, criticizing, praising, and expressing condolences and (2) five expressive speech strategies, including speaking frankly without pleasantries, speaking frankly with positive politeness, speaking frankly with negative politeness, speaking vaguely, and speaking silently. The most dominant type of expressive speech act used is the expressive speech act of complaining and the most dominant speech strategy used is the strategy of speaking frankly without pleasantries.

A Comprehensive Guide to Corpus Linguistics: A Book Review of Corpora in Applied Linguistics

Corpora have emerged as a transformative tool in the field of linguistics, providing researchers with a robust, data-driven approach to understanding language use. By compiling large collections of texts-ranging from written documents to transcriptions of spoken language-corpus linguistics enables the analysis of authentic language in its natural context. Corpora in applied linguistics have revolutionized the study of language by providing a data-driven approach to understanding linguistic phenomena. By analyzing large collections of naturally occurring texts, researchers can uncover patterns, frequencies, and contextual usages that are not easily identifiable through traditional methods. This approach has not only enhanced the theoretical foundations of linguistics but has also offered practical applications in fields such as language teaching, discourse analysis, and translation studies. As highlighted by Hunston (2002), McEnery and Hardie (2011), and Biber, Conrad, and Reppen (1998), the integration of corpus methodologies into linguistic research has not only deepened theoretical insights but also provided practical tools for educators and researchers alike. Susan Hunston's "Corpora in Applied Linguistics," now in its second edition, serves as a comprehensive guide to these methodologies, reflecting the advancements in the field over the past two decades. This review aims to provide an in-depth evaluation of Hunston's work, highlighting its significance, distinct features, and contributions to the field of applied linguistics.

The Application and Effect Evaluation of Corpus Linguistics in English Teaching

The Application and Effect Evaluation of Corpus Linguistics in English Teaching

Functioning and translation of English and Russian architectural terms in academic discourse

The study provides the analysis of architectural terminology in English and Russian in academic discourse. The object of the study is the terminological system of architecture. The subject of the study is the specifics of the use, functioning and translation of English and Russian architectural terminology in academic discourse. The classification and systematization of architectural terms, their hierarchical structure and functional types in academic texts are considered. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of the architectural sublanguage is emphasized, which intersects with terms from the fields such as engineering, architecture, construction, art and design. The paper also identifies existing difficulties and problems that arise when translating English and Russian-language architectural terms, including differences in the linguistic structure of languages, semantic ambiguity, the need for a high degree of specialization of the translator for the correct interpretation of the term, the use of idiomatic and figurative language to describe some architectural terms, etc. The study uses a comprehensive methodology, in particular, methods of comparative and component analysis, as well as methods of corpus linguistics used to study semantic fields, hierarchical relationships and functional types of terms. The research results emphasize the importance of standardization of architectural terminology, understanding of cultural and historical background, as well as technical knowledge to ensure effective communication in the global architectural community. Analyzing the corpus of texts, including dictionaries, architectural reviews and academic articles, the author explains how specific terms function in academic discourse. This study makes a special contribution to the development of linguistic research in the field of architecture, offering an in-depth analysis of semantic fields and their role in structuring architectural vocabulary. The novelty of the research lies in an integrated approach to the study of the functioning and translation of architectural terms, which allows to identify the difficulties associated with the interdisciplinary character of the terminology. The results of the study will be useful not only for teachers and translators, but also for international experts in the field of architecture.

Based on ideology theory: a corpus-oriented analysis of the UK traditional media coverage of China's belt and road initiative

ABSTRACT This article examines the depiction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in elite English media across Europe to discern sentiments and ideological disparities between China and the Western world. Using the PRISMA method, 1826 relevant research articles on the BRI were identified, and 42 were selected for detailed analysis. Additionally, 1357 news articles from the Financial Times, The Guardian and BBC from 2015 to 2023 underwent linguistic corpus analysis. Employing a three-dimensional critical discourse analysis (3d-CDA), the study scrutinized sample news articles, revealing ideological underpinnings across various dimensions and frames. The analysis indicates a growing negativity towards the BRI in European English media, with sentiments averaging 38% from 2015 to 2023 and peaking at 56% and 54% in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Ideological differences often discussed in academic circles include a contrast between the emphasis on individualism in the West and the values of collectivism prominent in Chinese culture. However, it is important to recognize the diversity within these broad categories. This research offers insights for BRI stakeholders and enriches academic discourse with updated data. Its novelty lies in its dual-tiered approach to news relevance for content analysis and the application of three-dimensional CDA to BRI news discourse, revealing ideological disparities not previously explored.