Learning English words andmaking use of a corpus

Richard Watson ToddKMUTT

http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/SoLA/ResearchUnit3.html

Overview

Summary of vocabulary strategies Remembering words: e-vocabulary notebook Using words Using words productively with a corpus

Focus on independent learning and written language

Vocabulary strategies

Remembering vocabulary– What to remember– How to remember

Using vocabulary– Dealing with unknown words– Productively using words appropriately

What to remember

The word itself A translation A definition The part of speech A picture An example of use A keyword to help you remember Where you read or heard the word Notes on grammar, spelling, pronunciation, affect A grouping with other words

How to remember

Increase level of cognitive demand– e.g. grouping words

Make memorable– e.g. use a picture, make a strange story

Link with familiar– e.g. create a keyword

Recycle words– e.g. repeat, review, use, test yourself

E-vocabulary notebook project

Purpose– To help staff at KMUTT learn English

vocabulary– Questionnaire shows 60% of KMUTT staff will

use it Product

– Downloadable program promoting vocabulary learning

E-vocabulary notebook contents

‘Pages’ to note new vocabulary– Format follows ‘What to remember’– Encourages insertion of downloaded pictures

E-vocabulary notebook contents

Facilities to create groupings– Spider webs, tree diagrams

E-vocabulary notebook contents

Automatic strange story generation– Using MadLips format

– Write down:• An adjective

• A verb

• A countable noun

MadLips

You wrote down an adjective, a verb and a countable noun

Fill in the gaps in the following text:– So far this presentation has been _________.– It makes me want to _________ someone.– I will tell my __________ about it.

E-vocabulary notebook contents

Recycling– Matching game to check memory

E-vocabulary notebook contents

Automatic self-testing– Link to dictionary definitions– Generate gap-fill tests for any words users enter

E-vocabulary notebook contents

Automatic L1 keyword generation– Using a computerised Thai-English dictionary– For English keyword, search Thai pronunciatio

ns for words with similar sounds– Suggest several words as potential keywords– Encourage users to write a bilingual sentence

Something for the future

E-vocabulary notebook contents

Increase level of cognitive demand– e.g. grouping words

Make memorable– e.g. use a picture, make a

strange story

Link with familiar– e.g. create a keyword

Recycle words– e.g. repeat, review, use, test

yourself

Facilities to create groupings

Allows insertion of downloaded pictures, MadLips

Automatic L1 keyword generation

Recycling games, automatic self-testing

Using vocabulary Dealing with unknown words

– Ignoring unimportant words– Guessing

• Using L1• From morphology• From context (POS, collocates, meaning, checking)

– Getting help• Asking for help• Using a dictionary (monolingual, bilingual, bilingualised; paper, h

andheld, computer-based)• Using a concordance

Using vocabulary productively

Know the form Know the meaning Need help with the use

– Ask for help– Use a dictionary (e.g. COBUILD)– Use a concordance

Using vocabulary productively Ignore? Guess? Getting help with using words

Asking for help– Most effective, but least practical for many

Using a dictionary– Relatively quick and certain

Using a concordance– Slow, uncertain, difficult

Why use a concordance?

No guarantee of appropriate examples of use in the concordance

Requires high levels of awareness to use Time-consuming, difficult and demotivating?

Better than dictionaries (and others) for specific purposes

Types of corpora and concordancers Web-based (e.g. BNC, VLC Hong Kong)

– Little user control– Generalised corpus– No follow-up

CD-ROM (e.g. BNC)– Great user control and follow-up– Semi-generalised corpus

Own corpus plus concordancing program– Build your own specialised corpus– Use a concordancer e.g. SCP

Web-based concordancer

Allows selection of sub-corpus?Allows sequencing of lines?Allows calculation of collocations?

VLC concordancer–http://vlc.polyu.edu.hk/concordance/WWWConcappE.ht

m

Web-based concordancer

Allows minimal selection of sub-corpus Allows sequencing of lines Does not allow calculation of collocations

CD-ROM concordancer

Allows selection of sub-corpus? Allows sequencing of lines? Allows calculation of collocations?

BNC World Edition (50 UK pounds)– http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/getting/

CD-ROM concordancer

Allows some selection of sub-corpus Allows sequencing of lines Allows calculation of collocations

Own corpus plus concordancing program Allows selection of sub-corpus? Allows sequencing of lines? Allows calculation of collocations?

Create corpus (e.g. academic articles)

Use concordancer (e.g. SCP www.textworld.com)

Own corpus plus concordancing program Allows excellent selection of corpus Allows sequencing of lines Does not allow calculation of collocations

Using concordances for writing

Write the text Choose some words that you are not sure

how to use Create concordances for those words Compare the use in the concordance with

the use in your text Make changes as necessary

Advantages of using your own corpus and concordancer If your text is genre-specific, use a corpus

from the same genre If your text is content-specific, use a corpus

on the same content Open SCP in 2 windows (one for your text

and one for the corpus) to allow direct comparisons

Creating a specific corpus

Spoken v. written corpora

Setting criteria for texts to include Collecting texts Collating texts into a single textfile

What criteria would you set? How would you find the texts?

Problems with concordancers

Time, equipment and programs needed Need for language awareness and ability to

make inductions Decontextualised examples Difficulties in making inductions from word

s with multiple parts of speech, patterns of use and meanings

Conclusion

Remembering words Using words in reading and writing

Computers may be of especial use in:

– Remembering words

– Using words in writing