Category: International Journal of Corpus Linguistics

Digital natives and corpora in language learning #corpuslinguistics

For digital natives, “research” is more likely to mean a Google search than a trip to the library […] it remains to be seen how corpus resources co-exist with online services like Google and online distionaries and how learners’ search habits behave in both contexts (Pérez-Paredes et al. 2012:484).

Pérez-Paredes, P., Sánchez-Tornel, M., & Alcaraz Calero, J. M. (2012). Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 17(4), 483-516.

Adverb use and language proficiency in young learners’ writing

Adverb use and language proficiency in young learners’ writing

Pascual Pérez-Paredes and María Sánchez-Tornel

International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 19:2. 2014. iii, 137 pp. (pp. 178–200)

Our research examines the use of general adverbs by learners across grades 5, 6, 9 and 10 in the International Corpus of Crosslinguistic Interlanguage (ICCI) by looking at whether this use increases with age. For our research we use data from the Polish, Spanish and Chinese components in the ICCI, in particular, those from the “food” and “money” topics. Our results show that general adverbs are more widely used as age increases. Statistically significant differences were found between grade 6 and 10 learners across all three L1 groups in terms of the frequency of use of general adverbs, which suggests that 10-graders integrate adverbs in their discourse in ways that differ from those in previous years. This study, together with Pérez-Paredes & Díez-Bedmar’s (2012), suggests that learners below grade 9 are more unlikely to use adverbs.

Keywords: International Corpus of Crosslinguistic Interlanguage, interlanguage development, age, learner writing, general adverbs

Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities


This research explores the search behaviour of EFL learners (n=24) by tracking their interaction with corpus-based materials during focus-on-form activities (Observe, Search the corpus, Rewriting). One set of learners made no use of web services other than the BNC during the central Search the corpus activity while the other set resorted to other web services and/or consultation guidelines. The performance of the second group was higher, the learners’ formulation of corpus queries on the BNC was unsophisticated and the students tended to use the BNC search interface to a great extent in the same way as they used Google or similar services. Our findings suggest that careful consideration should be given to the cognitive aspects concerning the initiation of corpus searches, the role of computer search interfaces, as well as the implementation of corpus-based language learning. Our study offers a taxonomy of learner searches that may be of interest in future research.

Pérez-Paredes, P., Sánchez-Tornel, M., & Alcaraz Calero, J. M. (2012). Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities.International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 17(4), 483-516

Full text here.

Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities


This research explores the search behaviour of EFL learners (n=24) by tracking their interaction with corpus-based materials during focus-on-form activities (Observe, Search the corpus, Rewriting). One set of learners made no use of web services other than the BNC during the central Search the corpus activity while the other set resorted to other web services and/or consultation guidelines. The performance of the second group was higher, the learners’ formulation of corpus queries on the BNC was unsophisticated and the students tended to use the BNC search interface to a great extent in the same way as they used Google or similar services. Our findings suggest that careful consideration should be given to the cognitive aspects concerning the initiation of corpus searches, the role of computer search interfaces, as well as the implementation of corpus-based language learning. Our study offers a taxonomy of learner searches that may be of interest in future research.

Pérez-Paredes, P., Sánchez-Tornel, M., & Alcaraz Calero, J. M. (2012). Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities.International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 17(4), 483-516

Full text here.

More systematic studies are needed in order to test the benefits of DDL

In different ways, the use of concordancers, concordance lines and language corpora promoted the use of information technologies and active search strategies, which was perceived as a valuable asset. Recently, Johansson (2009:41) claimed that more systematic studies are needed in order to test the benefits of DDL and that it is necessary to discuss “students’ problems with corpus investigation” so that specialists can “suggest how [learners] could be better equipped to be corpus researchers”. 

From Pérez-Paredes, P.Sánchez-Tornel, M. and Alcaraz Calero, J.M. Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities. A study on hands-on concordancing. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 17:4. 2012. iii, 150 pp. (pp. 482–515)

More systematic studies are needed in order to test the benefits of DDL

In different ways, the use of concordancers, concordance lines and language corpora promoted the use of information technologies and active search strategies, which was perceived as a valuable asset. Recently, Johansson (2009:41) claimed that more systematic studies are needed in order to test the benefits of DDL and that it is necessary to discuss “students’ problems with corpus investigation” so that specialists can “suggest how [learners] could be better equipped to be corpus researchers”. 

From Pérez-Paredes, P.Sánchez-Tornel, M. and Alcaraz Calero, J.M. Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities. A study on hands-on concordancing. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 17:4. 2012. iii, 150 pp. (pp. 482–515)