Corpus Linguistics (SAGE Benchmarks in Language and Linguistics)

Corpus linguistics is a research approach to investigate the patterns of language use empirically, based on analysis of large collections of natural texts. While corpus-based analysis has had relatively little influence on theoretical linguistics, it has revolutionized the study of language variation and use: what speakers and writers actually do with the lexical and grammatical resources of a language. Corpus-based research employs the research methods of quantitative and qualitative social science to investigate language use patterns empirically. This four-volume collection is organized around linguistic research questions that can be investigated from a corpus perspective and includes amongst others studies of individual words, comparisons of supposedly synonymous words, studies of grammatical variation, and sociolinguistic studies of dialects, registers, styles, and world varieties. Corpus-based analysis has also proven to be important for the study of historical change.