Corpus linguistics

Corpus linguistics uses specialised software to draw out patterns from large bodies of digitised language data (corpora). Especially in combination with other approaches to the study of language, corpus methods can empirically address both qualitative and quantitative research questions. Analysing large-scale corpora helps uncover patterns of communication and hidden bias in language that we might not have noticed before and has lots of exciting applications in all sorts of domains such as literature, languages, policy, education, sociology, health communication.

For example, researchers in the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics at the OU have used corpus linguistics with (critical) discourse analysis to answer questions about ideological representations in news media texts (for example, constructions of gender, representations of poverty and place, representations of social workers); with pragmatics to study professional communication such as email; and in combination with ethnography to study writing in social work practice.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA or research methods training at MA level (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.

Potential research projects

• Projects which combine critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics
• The use of corpus linguistics to explore issues of ender in any kind of text but especially in the media and/or literature
• Professional communication including professional writing
• Corpus approaches to politeness in language
• Corpus pragmatics
• Corpus study of student writing and/or teacher feedback
• Corpus study of children’s and young adult fiction
• Corpus approaches to language and gender
• Corpus approaches to sociolinguistic variation and change

Current recent research projects

• A corpus-based study of academic vocabulary in foundation-level students’ assessed academic writing at a UK university
• The role of language in power and coercion in maternity services
• Exploring contemporary citation practices of Russian scholars writing in Russian and English in three disciplinary fields (Economics, Sociology, Philosophy): static and dynamic approaches
• Scots new speakers as agents of sociolinguistic variation
• The dialogic nature of online discourse: A corpus analysis of online discussions

Potential supervisors

• Dr Maria Leedham
• Dr Laura L. Paterson
• Dr Rachele de Felice
• Dr Sally Hunt

Fees and funding

PhD fees

Professional doctorate fees

Some of our research students are funded via the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership or The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

• School of Languages and Applied Linguistics