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76491-01 - Lecture: Corpus Linguistics: State of the Art and Future Challenges (2 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Christian Mair (christian.mair@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In English linguistics, the first digital language corpora were introduced in the 1960s. Since then, innumerable further corpora have been compiled, providing broad coverage of standard and non-standard varieties past and present. In the first half of the lecture I will survey the state of the art in the field, pointing out how corpora have revolutionised research and teaching in English linguistics and given a boost to usage-based models of language structure, variation and change. On this basis, we will turn to two current challenges: - the advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) supporting text generation and machine translation; - the spread of corpus-based methods to neighbouring fields, such as literature, cultural studies and history, in the Digital Humanities paradigm. Throughout the lecture, you will be able to get hands-on experience in the use of corpora and other digital resources and tools, but no previous experience in corpus analysis is required. |
| Learning objectives | You will learn how linguistic corpora are compiled, structured and annotated. You will understand basic and some advanced search strategies in digital text and develop an awareness of how the systematic analysis of large amounts of digital text can contribute to research across a wide range of disciplines in the humanities. |
| Bibliography | Texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Please register for this course on services.unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 18.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 25.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 02.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 09.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 16.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 23.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 30.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 06.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 13.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 20.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 27.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 04.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 11.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Thursday 18.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced English Linguistics (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: English Linguistics (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Forschungspraxis und Vertiefung (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2022)) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Modul: Sprache als Prozess (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Sprache als System (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Sprache und Gesellschaft (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Written exam (90 min.) |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |