Pedagogic Grammar in Relation to Insights Derived from Corpus Linguistics - Essay Example

Name Tutor Course Date Pedagogic Grammar in Relation to Insights Derived from Corpus Linguistics Introduction The use of corpora has gained popularity especially in the context of language learning and teaching particularly in the aspect of grammar. Thus in language pedagogy the use of corpora tools has been of great importance in terms of teaching and learning for instance English as the second language. The use of corpora in learning and teaching English grammar can either be used directly or indirectly within a classroom setting. Corpus is considered as one of the basis of learning English grammar due to the fact that corpus tools has the strength of pooling various speakers with a purpose of objectivity in the analysis of linguistic speakers. Hence the use of corpora tools is an important aspect in teaching and learning of a second language. For the purpose of the essay I will discuss a tertiary level institution that i work for in Australia. The institution mainly deals with students who consider English language as their second language. In addition the students are mainly engaged in national examinations that are set by the National Exam Council for the Tertiary colleges. The materials used are mainly textbooks, videos and audio devices (Romer, 83-89). Indirect Use of Corpora in Teaching and Learning English Grammar Majority of students who pursue further studies in oversea countries such as the United States often need to engage in the process of second language learning. The main aim of learning another language is to enable the learner to communicate effectively with other people both in oral and written forms. To achieve this goal acquaintance with grammatical features is not enough as learners need to gain other characteristics of the language to facilitate efficient communication. In Australia learning and teaching English language is compulsory at the elementary level of education. Therefore the paper aims at discussing various principles according to Brown that are considered as essential in second language teaching and learning (Brown, 191). Davies, Otto and Ruschoff (2012) argue that it is important to note the contribution of technology as far as language learning is concerned. With the use of computers the aspect of language learning has further been simplified in order to enable the learners to grasp certain concepts in language more easily with the use of computers. In this case the introduction of technology through the use of computers in language learning forms an important aspect for both language learners and teachers. The computer as a tool in language learning simplifies the entire learning process. The use of corpora in this case involves the use of computers for the purposes of facilitating the teaching process in learning and teaching English as a second language within the classroom setting (Davies, Otto and Ruschoff 218). Corpus development and corpus linguistics are considered as results of technological innovations in language teaching and learning. Hence corpus is mainly defined as a collection of language texts that occur naturally as a characteristic feature of variety of languages. Hence corpus studies are integrated into the process of language learning and teaching of various languages that are considered as second or foreign languages by learners. In English language teaching and learning process is regarded as part of the pedagogical landscape in linguistics. The use of corpora in grammar has been used in second language teaching and learning indirectly than a direct approach system. The use of corpora indirectly has been mainly been attributed to be as a result of the level of experience among learners who consider English language as their second language in the learning process. In terms of grammar corpora has been instrumental in reference publishing particularly in the teaching and learning of English as the second language. Therefore the use of corpus based grammar has been instrumental in English language teaching and learning process. It is also important to note the fact that non-corpus founded grammars are considered to contain a lot of biases that make it difficult for students learning English as a second language to grasp grammatical ideas and concepts. Hence the use of corpus is important in terms of improvement of various forms of grammatical descriptions. This is especially essential in both spoken and written English grammatical descriptions in reference to publishing. English grammar is therefore described with the use of corpus descriptions that allows for equality in terms of attention to all speakers and writers of the second language. Hence the corpus founded grammar is regarded as unique in many ways as it engages in the recognition of disparities while at the same time exploring the variations that exists between written and spoken forms of grammar (Benardini 225-230). In relation to language pedagogy corpus based learner dictionaries are important as they provide short history as compared to other forms of dictionaries that provide a complex form of history that is difficult for the learners of English as a second language to comprehend. The impact of corpus based dictionary in relation to the English grammar has been incorporated in major dictionaries such as Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English in order to simplify the issues of grammar among English learners. In addition, another important feature of corpus founded grammar dictionaries involves the fact that there is the inclusion of quantitative information that is mainly derived from corpus. In this case corpus based grammar dictionaries mainly select the type of vocabulary that is used within a controlled set that is used in the process of defining a particular word. Hence there is production of definitions in a second language that is viewed by learners as a challenge as most learners develop limited vocabulary in the second language. Thus, the learners engage in in preparation of words that are regarded as defining words that is based on the occurrence of data that is generated from corpora (Conrad, 440-450). In order for learners of English as a second language to fully benefit from the utilization of corpora in grammar it is important for teachers to be trained effectively in the use of corpora based technique in pedagogy. Teaching of English as a second language is not only taught for the purpose of gaining knowledge but also with an objective of utilization of English language in professional communication process. Thus, the communication process enhances effectiveness through the use of corpus grammatical objectives. Language acquisition is considered as occurring within the mind of the learner. This is a process that cannot be observed directly but form a psychological approach. The use of corpus based grammar therefore is important in the provision of indirect empirical evidence that is critic l for second language acquisition. Therefore learner corpora can be utilized through an empirical basis that tests the acquisition of language in terms of grammar through psycholinguistic approaches. In the context of language pedagogy various impacts of corpora has been explored in terms of curriculum design, materials generations and teaching approach. In this relation the boundary that exists between the first language and the second language materials has been discovered (Teubet, 355-356). Additionally, corpora can be used indirectly in the classroom context in teaching and learning of English as a second language. In this case learners of English as a second language possess a direct access to concordancers and engage in the process of finding language rules on their own. This is mainly done through the process of typing various key words for the purposes of improving knowledge in terms of use of various common words in English as a second language. However, the direct approach of use of corpus is challenging due to the fact that lower level students face difficulty in grammatical expressions and words that are used as expressions in learning English as a second language. Hence the use of corpus is important as it enables a wide range of teachers and learners of English as a second language to be reached through the use of published materials. In addition, the use of corpus is important due to the fact that through the control of the teacher students are able to manage a large quantity of data that does not affect the original meanings within the context of various words in the learned language (Romer, 89). The use of Corpus in Syllabus Design and Materials Development in Teaching English The use of corpora is considered extensive in the provision of descriptions of language. In this case a lot of scholars are engaging in the use of corpus data in teaching English as a foreign or second language (TEFL) in relation to syllabus and materials. This is necessitated as a result of errors that are found in English textbooks in teaching English as a second language. This challenge has often led to difficulty in communication among second language learners with native speakers. Hence the usage of corpora in teaching and learning English as a second language is important due to the fact that it critical in the provision of sensible illustrations that reflect the complexities of original language (Prodromou, 5-14). Advantages of Corpora in Learning Grammar in English as a Foreign Language The incorporation of corpora in the context of teaching and learning English as a second language is an important milestone. Hence corpora in language learning and teaching is important due to the fact that it offers various types of clarification to different types of grammatical words while at the same time engaging in the reduction of exceptions in order to generate a creative type of spirit. Therefore the use of corpora is considered as important as it allows the provision of information at a much higher level as compared to various texts. Thus corpora provide essential information that teachers and learners of English as a second language may not be able to get within the context of either a dictionary or a grammar book in the classroom (Krishnamurthy & Kosem 356-361). Another major advantage of using corpora in English language learning involves the immediate access of information in relation to the language. This is important as it provides teachers with skills and knowledge that allows for proficiency in teaching and learning in comparison to the knowledge of native speakers of English. Corpora engages in the focus of language learning within a pedagogical context or point of view. In addition, corpus contains both the original texts and their subsequent translations. Therefore the use of corpora is important as it offers the learner a wide range of exploitation in relation of various meaning of items in a foreign language or in this case English as a second language. Furthermore the use of parallel corpora in language learning and teaching is focused in highlighting grammatical difference between a word in the target language (English) and the subsequent dictionary translation in the original language. However, despite this importance there is a great challenge in terms of translations of grammar from the original language to the learned language that is mainly attributed to the problematic selection of the translator in relation to the foreign language (Teubet, 355). Therefore, in general terms, the use of corpora in the context of teaching English as a second language in various countries is considered as a great benefit as far as curriculum design is concerned. Despite the fact that corpus can be used in order to generate teaching materials it has also been used in the context of gaining knowledge in relation to the second or foreign language learners. Hence various criteria and pedagogical policies is considered as an aspect of corpus founded reference works together with the type of authenticity that is presented by CL. Thus, the use of corpus provides a perfect learner teacher setting in relation to grammar and other linguistic features. The use of corpus in the classroom setting has led to the displacement of traditional approaches such as the use of dictionary among learners in relation to grammar in the context of the second language learning and teaching. This change is attributed to the fact that the use of corpus in classroom in teaching English as a second language is realistic in the sense that it exhibits the use of language in real situations. Corpus engages in the provision of more information in relation to English as a second language in teaching and learning. Additionally, the use of corpus is important in language learning due to the fact that it engages in the provision of patterns that can be used in the second language while at the same time enlightening various trends in language use in relation to historical change within a specific period of time (Aijmer, 101). Conclusion The use of corpora particularly in teaching English as a second language among learners has been considered as of great importance in linguistics. Corpora has therefore been instrumental in teaching English grammar among learners. Hence corpora has been viewed as an important resource that is of great essence in assisting teachers in making decisions on what to teach learners in the context of second language learning process. Corpora has significantly revolutionized ways through which both teachers and learners approach language education in the contemporary world. Despite the importance of the use of corpora in language teaching in this case English as a second language the challenge of selecting the type of corpora to be used in the context of teaching and learning is considered as a major impediment in the use of corpora in second language teaching. Works Cited Aijmer, K. Corpora and Language Teaching. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2009. Aston, Gruy, Sylvia Bernadini and Dominic Stewart. Corpora and Language Learners. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2004. Bernadini, Silvia. Systemising serendipity: proposals for concordanglarge corpora with language learners, Lou Burnard and Tony McEnergy, eds. Rethinking Language Pedagogy from a Corpus Perspective. Frankfurt Peter Frankfurt Peter Lang 225-234. Conrad, S. Will corpus linguistics revolutionize grammar teaching in the 21stcentury? TESOL Quarterly 2000, 34, 438–60. Brown, Douglas. Teaching by Principles. An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Third Edition. White Plains (NY), Pearson, Education, 2007. Davies, G., Otto, S. E. K., & Ruschoff, B. Historical perspectives on CALL. In M. Thomas, H. Reinders, & M. Warschauer (Eds.), Contemporary computer-assisted language learning, 2012, (pp. 19-38). Teubet, W. “Our brave new world”. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 2010, 15 (3): 354-358. Romer, U. “Corpus research and practice. What help do teachers need and what can we offer?” in Aijmer, K., Corpora and Language Teaching. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2009, 83- 98. Prodromou, L. “In search of the successful user of English”. Modern English Teacher, 2003, 12(2): 5-14. Krishnamurthy, R., and I. Kosem. “Issues in creating corpus for EAP pedagogy and research.”Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 2007, 6:356-373. Read More