Abstract
While the role Corpus linguistics (CL) in language teaching and learning continues to evolve, its use in the language teaching industry remains somewhat unclear. The specific ways in which ELT publishers use CL research to inform materials development are under-studied, meaning that it is not known whether CL is being used by publishers to its full potential. This study investigates the use of CL research by a major international ELT publisher by conducting research into recent change in adverbs in casual spoken British English and sharing the findings with editors from the publisher. Through our analysis, we find evidence of major recent changes in the usage of frequent adverbs. Following the corpus analysis, we conducted in-depth interviews with the editors and a review of the materials they subsequently produced using the corpus findings. In so doing, we find some evidence of effective use of corpora in materials development but reveal limitations in current corpus research which prevent editors from employing CL research more effectively.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-38 |
| Number of pages | 38 |
| Journal | Corpora |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 May 2022 |
Bibliographical note
This article has been accepted for publication by Edinburgh University Press in Corpora; https://dx.doi.org/10.3366/cor.2022.0233Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Keywords
- corpus linguistics
- adverbs
- spoken British English
- language change
- ELT
- materials development