An introduction to corpus technology in the age of AI

Abstract

Corpus technology has been noted as a facilitative tool in data-driven learning (DDL) due to its advanced search capabilities and access to vast linguistic databases. Despite its potential, many teachers shy away from direct corpus use, which involves teacher- and learner-corpus interaction. Based on teacher and learner feedback, this hesitation is due to the overwhelming amount of corpus data and unfamiliarity with corpus query functions and techniques. To address these questions, this practice-based article aims to bridge the gap between teachers and the evolving landscape of corpus technology in the artificial age. First, it provides a brief introduction to the term corpus and its associated technology. Second, it highlights the common types of corpora available for teachers as an open resource. Next, it addresses corpus basics using Laurence Anthony’s AntConc 4.2.4 software. Then, it suggests three simple ways to incorporate corpus technology in the classroom. Finally, the article summarizes a corpus-informed lesson following the Illustration-Induction-Interaction (I-I-I) model.