British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) Corpus Linguistics Seminar
CALL FOR PAPERS
Theme: Text analysis using corpora - methodological issues.
Date: Friday April 28th 2006
Place: The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. (for travel directions see http://www3.open.ac.uk/contact/locations.aspx).
Time and Room: 10am - 5pm, Central Meeting Room 15, Christodolou Building.
Organisers: Dr Kieran O'Halloran, Dr Caroline Coffin (Centre for Language and Communications, The Open University) and Lia Blaj (Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University).
Guest speakers:
Professor Guy Cook, The Open University.
Professor Susan Hunston, University of Birmingham.
Text analysis using corpora - methodological issues
More and more applied linguists (broadly defined) are drawing on corpus resources to increase the power and rigour of their text analyses. This is becoming prevalent in areas such as Argument Studies, Academic Literacies, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis, Educational Linguistics, Forensic Linguistics, Literary Stylistics, Systemic Functional Linguistics and Translation Studies (to name but a few). But for each benefit a corpus-informed text analysis offers, a host of prickly but fascinating methodological issues may be thrown up, which in turn create problems for what can be claimed in analysis and interpretation. Alongside these newer issues and problems are some now well-known reflections on the limits of what can be claimed from corpus analysis (e.g. by Guy Cook and Henry Widdowson).
The BAAL Corpus Linguistics SIG meeting on Friday 28th April 2006 is devoted to providing a stimulating and supportive environment for pooling individual tussles with such problems so as to lead to better informed reflection on combining text-based and corpus-informed methods of analysis. In turn, we hope in this sort of environment that ways can be suggested for increasing the rigour as well as the clarity of what scholars can claim for such a combinatory approach. Given the nature of the forum, it will be of benefit to not only established academics but also postgraduate students who may be dealing with such issues.
We welcome abstracts (up to 400 words) on areas mentioned above (or others) for 30 minute slots (with at least 10 mins devoted to discussion) which openly address the above issues. Presenters may wish to provide accounts of work-in-progress, focus on associated problems in doing this kind of research or look at potential solutions. They may also wish to present their investigations 'workshop style' whereby other participants have the opportunity to explore their data in detail.
Address for abstracts
If you wish to be considered for a paper presentation, please send abstracts (email or hardcopy) to:
Lia Blaj ( L.L.Blaj@open.ac.uk <mailto:L.L.Blaj@open.ac.uk> )
Institute of Educational Technology,
Room 199, Geoffrey Crowther Building,
The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA. UK.
Deadline for abstracts: Monday 13th March 2006.
Notification of acceptance: Monday 20th March 2006
Registration (for both presenters and non-presenters) by March 27th 2006
Registration fee (Covers lunch, refreshments etc): £25 for BAAL members, £35 for non-BAAL members, £15 for students (BAAL or non-BAAL members).
Cheques made payable to 'The Open University' and sent to Lia Blaj at the above address. Please indicate any special dietary requirements when registering as well as BAAL membership status and if you are a student.
Presenters will have access to a laptop and data projector.
More information (programme etc) will be provided on the BAAL Corpus Special Interest Group website when it becomes available:
http://www.baal.org.uk/sigs_corpus.htm <http://www.baal.org.uk/sigs_corpus.htm>
Look forward to seeing you...Kieran
Dr Kieran O'Halloran
Centre for Language and Communications
Faculty of Education and Language Studies
Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
UK.
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