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Learning English words and making use of a corpus

Learning English words and making use of a corpus. Richard Watson Todd KMUTT http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/SoLA/ResearchUnit3.html. Overview. Summary of vocabulary strategies Remembering words: e-vocabulary notebook Using words Using words productively with a corpus

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Learning English words and making use of a corpus

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  1. Learning English words andmaking use of a corpus Richard Watson Todd KMUTT http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/SoLA/ResearchUnit3.html

  2. Overview • Summary of vocabulary strategies • Remembering words: e-vocabulary notebook • Using words • Using words productively with a corpus • Focus on independent learning and written language

  3. Vocabulary strategies • Remembering vocabulary • What to remember • How to remember • Using vocabulary • Dealing with unknown words • Productively using words appropriately

  4. What to remember • The word itself • A translation • A definition • The part of speech • A picture • An example of use • A keyword to help you remember • Where you read or heard the word • Notes on grammar, spelling, pronunciation, affect • A grouping with other words

  5. How to remember • Increase level of cognitive demand • e.g. grouping words • Make memorable • e.g. use a picture, make a strange story • Link with familiar • e.g. create a keyword • Recycle words • e.g. repeat, review, use, test yourself

  6. E-vocabulary notebook project • Purpose • To help staff at KMUTT learn English vocabulary • Questionnaire shows 60% of KMUTT staff will use it • Product • Downloadable program promoting vocabulary learning

  7. E-vocabulary notebook contents • ‘Pages’ to note new vocabulary • Format follows ‘What to remember’ • Encourages insertion of downloaded pictures

  8. E-vocabulary notebook contents • Facilities to create groupings • Spider webs, tree diagrams

  9. E-vocabulary notebook contents • Automatic strange story generation • Using MadLips format • Write down: • An adjective • A verb • A countable noun

  10. MadLips • You wrote down an adjective, a verb and a countable noun • Fill in the gaps in the following text: • So far this presentation has been _________. • It makes me want to _________ someone. • I will tell my __________ about it.

  11. E-vocabulary notebook contents • Recycling • Matching game to check memory

  12. E-vocabulary notebook contents • Automatic self-testing • Link to dictionary definitions • Generate gap-fill tests for any words users enter

  13. E-vocabulary notebook contents • Automatic L1 keyword generation • Using a computerised Thai-English dictionary • For English keyword, search Thai pronunciations for words with similar sounds • Suggest several words as potential keywords • Encourage users to write a bilingual sentence • Something for the future

  14. Increase level of cognitive demand e.g. grouping words Make memorable e.g. use a picture, make a strange story Link with familiar e.g. create a keyword Recycle words e.g. repeat, review, use, test yourself Facilities to create groupings Allows insertion of downloaded pictures, MadLips Automatic L1 keyword generation Recycling games, automatic self-testing E-vocabulary notebook contents

  15. Using vocabulary • Dealing with unknown words • Ignoring unimportant words • Guessing • Using L1 • From morphology • From context (POS, collocates, meaning, checking) • Getting help • Asking for help • Using a dictionary (monolingual, bilingual, bilingualised; paper, handheld, computer-based) • Using a concordance

  16. Using vocabulary productively • Know the form • Know the meaning • Need help with the use • Ask for help • Use a dictionary (e.g. COBUILD) • Use a concordance

  17. Using vocabulary productively • Ignore? Guess? • Getting help with using words • Asking for help • Most effective, but least practical for many • Using a dictionary • Relatively quick and certain • Using a concordance • Slow, uncertain, difficult

  18. Why use a concordance? • No guarantee of appropriate examples of use in the concordance • Requires high levels of awareness to use • Time-consuming, difficult and demotivating? • Better than dictionaries (and others) for specific purposes

  19. Types of corpora and concordancers • Web-based (e.g. BNC, VLC Hong Kong) • Little user control • Generalised corpus • No follow-up • CD-ROM (e.g. BNC) • Great user control and follow-up • Semi-generalised corpus • Own corpus plus concordancing program • Build your own specialised corpus • Use a concordancer e.g. SCP

  20. Web-based concordancer • Allows selection of sub-corpus? • Allows sequencing of lines? • Allows calculation of collocations? • VLC concordancer • http://vlc.polyu.edu.hk/concordance/WWWConcappE.htm

  21. Web-based concordancer • Allows minimal selection of sub-corpus • Allows sequencing of lines • Does not allow calculation of collocations

  22. CD-ROM concordancer • Allows selection of sub-corpus? • Allows sequencing of lines? • Allows calculation of collocations? • BNC World Edition (50 UK pounds) • http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/getting/

  23. CD-ROM concordancer • Allows some selection of sub-corpus • Allows sequencing of lines • Allows calculation of collocations

  24. Own corpus plus concordancing program • Allows selection of sub-corpus? • Allows sequencing of lines? • Allows calculation of collocations? • Create corpus (e.g. academic articles) • Use concordancer (e.g. SCP www.textworld.com)

  25. Own corpus plus concordancing program • Allows excellent selection of corpus • Allows sequencing of lines • Does not allow calculation of collocations

  26. Using concordances for writing • Write the text • Choose some words that you are not sure how to use • Create concordances for those words • Compare the use in the concordance with the use in your text • Make changes as necessary

  27. Advantages of using your own corpus and concordancer • If your text is genre-specific, use a corpus from the same genre • If your text is content-specific, use a corpus on the same content • Open SCP in 2 windows (one for your text and one for the corpus) to allow direct comparisons

  28. Creating a specific corpus • Spoken v. written corpora • Setting criteria for texts to include • Collecting texts • Collating texts into a single textfile • What criteria would you set? • How would you find the texts?

  29. Problems with concordancers • Time, equipment and programs needed • Need for language awareness and ability to make inductions • Decontextualised examples • Difficulties in making inductions from words with multiple parts of speech, patterns of use and meanings

  30. Conclusion • Remembering words • Using words in reading and writing • Computers may be of especial use in: • Remembering words • Using words in writing

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