California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2005 The role of corpus linguistics in a lexical approach to college level English-as-a-foreign-language pedagogy Adamantia Hadjioannou Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Education Commons, and the First and Second Language Acquisition Commons Recommended Citation Hadjioannou, Adamantia, "The role of corpus linguistics in a lexical approach to college level English-as-a- foreign-language pedagogy" (2005). Theses Digitization Project. 2791. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2791 This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ROLE OF CORPUS LINGUISTICS IN A LEXICAL APPROACH TO COLLEGE-LEVEL ENGLISH-AS- A-FOREIGN-LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino b In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts s m Education: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages by Adamantia Hadjioannou September 2005 THE ROLE OF CORPUS LINGUISTICS IN A LEXICAL APPROACH TO COLLEGE-LEVEL ENGLISH-AS- A-FOREIGN-LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Adamantia Hadjioannou September 2005 Approved by: First Reader ter © 2005 Adamantia Hadjioannou ABSTRACT English is the contemporary lingua franca; almost three quarters of the world's population is comprised of English-native or nonnative speakers. English proficiency is widely believed to determine one's academic and career success. To this end, English education is essential in many countries throughout the world. English education has been formally part of the curriculum in Cyprus since 1935 because it is necessary for the island's economic development and participation in' international politics. It is also important for students to attain English-language proficiency because many high school graduates continue their education at universities in English-speaking countries. Students who attend the University of Cyprus also need to take English courses as a requirement for the completion of a degree. This project offers methods for English-as-a- foreign-language (EFL) undergraduate students to improve their English skills following a lexical approach to language incorporating the methodology of corpus linguistics research. It is hoped that EFL teachers and students will revisit language teaching and learning from this innovative perspective. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to all who contributed to the successful completion of this project Firstly, I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Lynne Diaz-Rico for all her intellectual support, and my second reader, Dr. Thom Gehring, for the time and effort he spent in proofreading this project. I am also grateful to my sponsors, AMIDEAST organization and Cyprus Fulbright Commission, for their financial support. Lastly, my appreciation goes to my family and friends, Philip, Maria, and John, who provided me with encouragement and love throughout this project. iv DEDICATION To Philip and My Parents TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................... iv LIST OF TABLES.................... ix LIST OF FIGURES....................................... x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Project ........................ 1 The Role of English in Cyprus............... 1 The History of English Education in Cyprus.... ..................... 2 Current English Education in Cyprus ......... 3 Target Teaching Level—University Undergraduates . ............................ 6 Purpose of the Project.................. 6 Content of the Project.......................... 7 Significance of the Project ...................... 8 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Corpus Linguistics ............................... 9 Definition and Historical Overview of Corpus Linguistics ......................... 9 The Linguistic Use of Corpora.............. 13 Corpus-Based Research ...................... 17 Pedagogical Implications of Corpus Linguistics................................ 27 Limitations of Corpus Linguistics in the English-as-a-Second-Language/English-as- a-Foreign-Language Classroom.............. 34 v Summary................ .................... 3 6 Concordance.................. ................... 3 7 Definitions of Concordance . .............. 3 8 Concordance Programs and Their Function .... 40 Corpus-Based Approach ...................... 45 Research on Concordance .................... 47 Pedagogical Implications ................... 51 Summary . ................................ 57 Collocation and Second-Language Acquisition ...... 58 Definitions of Collocation and Its Function in Language ....................... 58 Historical Overview ........................ 61 Collocation and Language ................... 64 Research on Collocation .................... 68 Pedagogical Implications of Collocation .... 72 Summary......................................................................................................... 8 0 The Lexical Approach ............................ 81 Definition, Function, and Role of the Lexical Phrase ............................. 83 Lexical Items: Words, Collocations, and Institutionalized Expressions .............. 88 Research on Formulaic Speech ............... 91 Syllabi and the Lexical Approach........... 94 Pedagogical Implications of the Lexical Approach................................... 98 Summary.................. 102 Second-Language Vocabulary Acquisition .......... 103 . • yi: The Importance of Vocabulary............. 104 Aspects of Vocabulary Knowledge ............ 105 Incidental and Explicit Vocabulary Learning................................... 109 Research in Second-Language Vocabulary Acquisition.................. ...............110 Pedagogical Implications of Second Language-Vocabulary Acquisition ........... 122 Summary.................................... 126 CHAPTER THREE: THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The Purpose of the Model . ...................... 12 8 A Proposed Theoretical Model ..................... 129 Teaching Centered on the Lexical Approach.................................... 12 9 Research Informing the Lexical Approach ..... 131 Summary......................... .................132 CHAPTER FOUR: CURRICULUM DESIGN Introduction..... •.... , . ....................... 134 Sequence and Content of the Unit Plan............134 CHAPTER FIVE: UNIT PLAN ASSESSMENT Purpose of Assessment ........................... 140 Formative.Assessment ........................ 140 Summative Assessment ........... 141 Peer Assessment....................................................................................142 Conclusion .... '....... '................ 143 vii APPENDIX: INSTRUCTIONAL UNIT-EXPLOITING CORPUS LINGUISTICS IN A LEXICAL APPROACH TO IMPROVE THE PRESENTATION SKILLS OF COLLEGE-LEVEL STUDENTS................... 144 REFERENCES........................................... 215 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Number of Studies in Corpus Linguistics During 1965-1991 ........................... 11 Table 2. A Percentage-Comparison of Good and Poor Writers' Production of Collocations ........ 70 Table 3. Collocation Table................ 101 Table 4. Vocabulary-Knowledge Criteria ............... 108 Table 5. Contextual Word-Solving Strategies ........... 115 Table 6. Second-Language Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies................................. 125 Table 7. Interrelationship between Keywords and Lesson Plans.................. .............135 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Key Word In Context Concordance Format .... 38 Figure 2 . Frequency List............................. 42 Figure 3. Words Immediately Before bag Are in Alphabetical Order ........................ 43 Figure 4. Words Immediately After bag Are in Alphabetical Order ........................ 43 Figure 5. Studying Collocations ...................... 57 Figure 6. Distribution of Frequency Words in a Word Count According to Twadell ........... 63 Figure 7. Distribution of Frequency Words in a Word Count Based on the Brown Corpus...... 64 Figure 8. The Composite Form/Function Nature of Lexical Phrases ........................... 85 Figure 9. The Composite Form/Function Nature of Lexical Phrases and its Connection to Grammatical Rules ......................... 86 Figure 10. Illustration of the Interrelationship of the Pragmatic Component and the Lexicon and Syntax........................ 87 Figure 11. Interlanguage Process when First Language and Second Language are Compared....... ........................... 100 Figure 12. Theoretical Model: The Instantiation of Corpus Linguistics Research in Language Teaching Focused on the Lexical Approach .......................... 130 x CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Project The Role of English in Cyprus English is the contemporary lingua franca—the world language. People communicate in English for business, politic, economic, and other purposes. Approximately three quarters of the world's population use English, as it has become the language of international business, politics, and diplomacy. Thus, English language is a necessity for those who expect to achieve career