What can corpus linguistics tell us about English grammar? : What can corpus linguistics tell us about English grammar?
Douglas Biber
Northern Arizona University
Major themes in the talk : Major themes in the talk A survey of corpus-based analytical techniques
Illustrate the research findings from the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English
The unreliability of intuitions
The centrality of register for descriptions of language use
Grammatical complexity in conversation
Implications for ESL/EFL teaching and materials
Composition of the Longman Spoken and Written English (LSWE) Corpus : Composition of the Longman Spoken and Written English (LSWE) Corpus # of texts # of words
Conversation BrE 3,436 3,929,500
Conversation AmE 329 2,480,800
Fiction 139 4,980,000
News BrE 20,395 5,432,800
News AmE 11,602 5,246,500
Academic prose 408 5,331,800
Pronouns : Pronouns Many simple analyses can be carried out using only concordancing software
KWIC Screen from MonoConc : KWIC Screen from MonoConc
Modal verbs : Modal verbs Modal verbs (e.g., can, must) and semi-modals (e.g., have to) express similar meanings
Semi-modals are especially common in conversation
Are the core modal verbs more common in academic writing or in conversation?
Basic decisions that all materials developers make: : Basic decisions that all materials developers make: Which grammatical features to include in a lesson or book; which to exclude? How much space should be given to included topics?
What order of topics?
Which specific words to include when illustrating a grammatical feature?
Identifying the features and words that are "common".
ESL/EFL grammar books surveyed for the study : ESL/EFL grammar books surveyed for the study Low intermediate:
Basic grammar in use
Intermediate:
Focus on grammar
Fundamentals of English grammar
Grammar in use
Intermediate to advanced:
Grammar dimensions (Book 3)
Oxford practice grammar
1) Which topics to include / exclude, focusing on noun pre-modifiers : 1) Which topics to include / exclude, focusing on noun pre-modifiers Adjectives as pre-modifiers (the big house)
Participles as pre-modifiers (flashing lights, a restricted area)
Nouns as pre-modifiers (plastic trays)
In newspaper writing, are all three types of modification equally important? Which one(s) should be emphasized?
Which topics to include / exclude, focusing on noun pre-modifiers (cont.) : Which topics to include / exclude, focusing on noun pre-modifiers (cont.) Survey of ESL/EFL grammar books:
a) no discussion: 1 book
b) adjectives as pre-modifiers: 5 books
c) participles as pre-modifiers: 4 books
d) nouns as pre-modifiers: 1 book
Excerpt from a tagged text : Excerpt from a tagged text The ^ati++++
Civil ^jj+atrb+++
War ^nn++++
tore ^vbd+++xvbn+
the ^ati++++
United ^np++++
States ^nps++++
apart ^rp++++
. ^.+clp+++
After ^cs+sub+++
the ^ati++++
war ^nn++++
Americans ^nn+nom+++
had ^md"++pmd"++
to ^md+nec+++
put ^vb+++xvbn+
the ^ati++++
nation ^nn++++
back ^rp++++
together ^rb++++
Meaning relations expressed by Noun-Noun sequences : Meaning relations expressed by Noun-Noun sequences Example N-N sequences Meaning relationship
glass windows, metal seat, N2 is made from N1
tomato sauce
pencil case, brandy bottle, N2 is used for the purpose of N1
patrol car
sex magazine, sports diary N2 is about N1
farmyard manure, computer printout N2 comes from N1
summer rains, Paris conference N1 gives the time or location of N2
2) What order of topics, focusing on progressive (continuous) and simple present tense : 2) What order of topics, focusing on progressive (continuous) and simple present tense Three verb aspects in English:
Simple: He works very hard
Progressive (or ‘continuous’): Tom is writing a letter
Perfect: Charlie has gone home
In conversation, which is the most common aspect?
What order of topics, focusing on progressive (continuous) and simple present tense (cont.) : What order of topics, focusing on progressive (continuous) and simple present tense (cont.) progressive introduced before the simple present: 3 books
progressive introduced in the first chapter: 4 books
progressive introduced before or with the simple present: 5 books
progressive introduced after the simple present: 1 book
Simple aspect verbs in conversation : Simple aspect verbs in conversation B: -- What do you do at Dudley Allen then?
A: What the school?
B: Yeah. Do you -
A: No I'm, I'm only on the PTA.
B: You're just on the PTA?
A: That's it.
B: You don't actually work?
A: I work at the erm -
B: I know you work at Crown Hills, don't you?
A: Yeah.
Slide23 : Which specific words to include when illustrating a grammatical feature, focusing on the initial chapters that describe verb tenses
What are the most common lexical verbs in conversation?
Selected meanings of GET in conversation : Selected meanings of GET in conversation Obtaining something (activity):
See if they can get some of that beer. (Conv)
How much are you getting a pay raise for? (Conv)
Moving to or away from something (activity):
Get in the car. (Conv)
Causing something to move (causative):
Jessie get your big bum here. (Conv)
We ought to get these wedding pictures into an album of some sort. (Conv)
Causing something to happen (causative):
Uh, I got to get Max to sign one, too (Conv)
It gets people talking again, right. (Conv)
Changing from one state to another (occurrence):
She's getting ever so grubby looking now. (Conv)
So I'm getting that way now. (Conv)
Understanding something (mental):
Do you get it? (Conv)
Get in the perfect asoect with a stative meaning similar to have:
The Amphibicar - It's got little propellers in the back. (Conv)
You got your homework done, Jason? (Conv)
Verbs illustrated in the first lessons on present progressive and simple present tense (four low intermediate and intermediate books) : Verbs illustrated in the first lessons on present progressive and simple present tense (four low intermediate and intermediate books) common verbs included in these textbooks:
is, has, do, like, want, know, mean
moderately common verbs included in these textbooks:
eat, work, feel, work, play, watch, talk, call, remember, hear, seem
less common and rare verbs included in these textbooks:
run, listen, wear, cry, revolve, arrive, touch, stand, travel, read, rain, shine, write, ring, drive, enjoy, study, build, rise, smoke, close, speak, grow, kiss, stay, own, taste, cause, boil
common verbs that are NOT included in any book:
say, get, go, think, see, make, give
common verbs included in only one book: come, take
Meanings of modal verbs : Meanings of modal verbs
Personal meanings -- permission and obligation:
You can't mark without a scheme. You must make a scheme. (Conv)
I know you have to protect your eyesight. (Fict)
Logical meanings -- possibility and logical certainty:
Or he might accept it but reach different conclusions. (Acad*)
You must have thought that you would have so much time. (Conv)
Personal meanings -- ability:
I think we can beat Glenavon. (News)
He thought he could help his brother in his illness by writing about their childhood. (News)
may marking permission in teacher talk: : may marking permission in teacher talk: Students: [many voices talking]
Teacher: Yes Carl. You may do some maths if you want to.
Student: No.
Teacher: You may do your language work if you want to.
Student: I thought you said anything.
Teacher: If you don't want to do - either of those things – and you are - keen on writing a story, you may write.
[...]
Teacher: No you may not draw a picture.
could, might and may marking logical possibility in academic prose : could, might and may marking logical possibility in academic prose The two processes could well be independent. (Acad)
Of course, it might be the case that it had been settled long before that. (Acad)
The only problem may be that the compound is difficult to remove after use. (Acad*)
Legumes may have smaller conversion efficiencies. (Acad)
The problems encountered may be entirely physical in nature. (Acad)
must marking logical certainty in conversation : must marking logical certainty in conversation
Your mum must not care. (Conv)
It must have fallen out trying to fly.
(Conv)
Your feet must feel wet now. (Conv)
must marking personal obligation in academic prose : must marking personal obligation in academic prose I must now confess something which I kept back from you in Chapter 3. (Acad)
The permanence of dams already constructed must be ensured. (Acad*)
This is the sort of case in which judges must exercise discretionary power. (Acad*)
Selected common lexical bundles with simple present tense verbs in conversation : Selected common lexical bundles with simple present tense verbs in conversation
I don’t know what __________________
how
if
why
where
who
I don’t think he/she __________________
I
it’s
you
they
Example exercise to practice the use of lexical bundles : Example exercise to practice the use of lexical bundles Choose from the following endings to complete the lexical bundle:
if I would like that
where it is
he actually wrote it
it's too dirty yet
I don't think his speech delivery was very good. I think he read it.
But I don't think ______.
We have that book, but I don’t know _________.
We've only lived in the apartment for a year. I don't think ________.
Melissa: They went swimming in the ocean. She said the water was like bath temperature.
Sam: Well, I don’t know __________. That’s a little too tropical!