Corpus Linguistics

The course aims to provide students with a solid introduction to the theoretical, methodological, and applied principles of corpus linguistics, adopting a cross-linguistic approach suited to different languages of study. Through three progressive modules, the course seeks to:
- Introduce the fundamental concepts of corpus linguistics;
- Provide skills for collecting, querying, and analysing corpus-based data;
- Develop critical thinking skills in linguistic research contexts, supported by practical examples applicable across different languages.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired a solid understanding of the theoretical and methodological foundations of corpus linguistics, including its core principles and the limitations associated with the use of data extracted from corpora. They will be familiar with the main operational procedures for extracting and organizing linguistic data and will be able to apply quantitative analysis methods, having developed the skills needed to interpret fundamental statistical measures in linguistics.
Throughout the course activities, students will learn how to use specific software for querying and analysing corpora, how to design simple empirical investigations, and how to apply corpus-based tools to linguistic data from different languages. Particular attention will be given to developing the critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate corpus data, reflect on methodological choices, and understand the potential and limitations of these tools in language analysis.
Thanks to the knowledge acquired and the development of critical thinking fostered during the course, students will be able to independently pursue further study of corpus-based methodologies applied to their chosen language of specialisation.