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Corpus Linguistics and Second Language
Acquisition – The use of ACORN in the teaching
of Spanish Grammar
Guadalupe Ruiz Yepes
Introduction
 Demands for authentic language use in the teaching
of a second language
 Observing corpora has helped to reveal patterns of
real language use
 ACORN project aims to provide corpus analyses in
output formats suitable for teaching and learning
 Goals of using corpora in Grammar Clinics:
• show students many more examples (than in grammar books)
• authentic examples
• corpora as self-access support while writing essays, preparing
for exams
Case study
Beginners’ grammar
clinics group (GC1)
• Corpus-based
approach
• explain grammar topic;
create exercises
involving corpus search
for examples that match
grammar statements
• Deductive method
Advanced grammar
clinics group (GC2)
• Corpus-driven
approach
• lexical items (eg verbs,
prepositions) are
specified; students
analyse concordances
themselves; they find,
list and explain the
frequent grammar
patterns
• Inductive method
Corpus-based exercises in
GC1: ser and estar
SER
• In equational sentences of the
sort A=B, where A and B are
nouns or pronouns.
• With adjectives or adjectival
phrases referring to identity or
nature.
• Followed by de + noun to
denote origin or the material
something is made of.
• In impersonal statements.
ESTAR
• To describe state as opposed
to identity or nature.
• Followed by de + adjective or
noun to indicate mood,
temporary employment or
situation.
• To indicate location.
Ser and estar: Concordance
lines from ACORN for es (GC1)
Ser and estar: Concordance
lines from ACORN for está (GC1)
Corpus-driven exercises with GC2: Concordance
lines from ACORN for the preposition para
Corpus-driven exercises with GC2:
Concordance lines from ACORN for por
por and para functions figured
out by students (GC2)
PARA
• To indicate purpose,
object or destination.
• Direction after verbs of
motion.
• To translate ‘for’ when it
means ‘considering’.
• To translate ‘by’ in time
phrases.
• To translate the idea of
‘for’ specifying a period of
time in the future
POR
• To denote ‘because’,
‘because of’ and ‘why?’
• To translate ‘by’ in
passive constructions.
• To translate ‘in support
of’.
• To indicate prices and
amounts of money.
• To indicate periodicity in
time phrases.
Students’ exercises (GC2)
Students’ exercises (GC2)
Conclusions
• Change of attitude of the students towards
corpus methodology
• Labs suitable for the teaching of grammar
• The Spanish corpus in ACORN needs
improvement