Web As Corpus: Theory and Practice

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Is the internet a suitable linguistic corpus How can we use it in corpus techniques What are the special properties that we need to be aware of This book answers those questions. The Web is an exponentially increasing source of language and corpus linguistics data. From gigantic static information resources to user-generated Web 2.0 content, the breadth and depth of information available is breathtaking and bewildering. This book explores the theory and practice of the web as corpus. It looks at the most common tools and methods used and features a plethora of examples based on the author's own teaching experience. This book also bridges the gap between studies in computational linguistics, which emphasize technical aspects, and studies in corpus linguistics, which focus on the implications for language theory and use.

Reviews

The Web as Corpus: Theory and Practice is a timely and thorough introduction to the promising field of Web as Corpus at a time when exponentially cumulating online language use has, to a great extent, become the default mode of personal and professional communication ... The book is much welcomed for its balanced treatment of the theory and practice of 'Web as Corpus'. For this, it is unique. -- Liangping Wu, Beijing Foreign Studies University and Hunan University of Commerce * Digital Scholarship in the Humanities *
Web as Corpus is a much welcomed book because it is the first unified account of the role of the web in the now well-established discipline of corpus linguistics. [...] This book shows the complementarity between CL and the web as corpus, and the mutual enrichment that derives from their interaction. -- Maria Freddi, University of Pavia, Italy * International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, Vol. 20:1 *
A thorough, insightful introduction to web-derived corpora and a valuable resource for exploring language use in the digital era. -- Sara Laviosa, Senior Lecturer in English Language and Translation, Universit di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
This book is a refreshing introduction to Web corpus linguistics, connecting traditional concepts and methods to the new reality brought about by the Web 2.0. Issues discussed include the exploitation of the potential of ordinary search engines, the reworking of their output format to make it suitable for linguistic analysis, the creation of DIY specialized corpora, and the use of large reference corpora. Gatto provides clear and illuminating examples of how language learners, teachers and researchers, as well as translators and other language services providers can profit from the wealth of linguistic information available online, while at the same time addressing the inherent anarchy and chaos of the Web as corpus. -- Federico Zanettin, Associate Professor of English Language and Translation, Universit per Stranieri Perugia, Italy

Author Bio

Maristella Gatto is a Researcher and Lecturer in English Language and Translation at the Faculty of Modern Languages, University of Bari, Italy.