230452 Analysing Big Data in Linguistics (S) (SoSe 2025)

With the rise of digital texts and data processing, linguists have become able to investigate language in ways that previously were impossible. Large collections of language data - usually text - are known as corpora.

Digital corpora enable us to look at vast quantities of data, and to easily compare findings across different corpora. This means we can compare between genres, dialects, and time periods, but also by speakers’ sociolinguistic characteristics, such as age, gender, and more.

This class will start out with some theoretical input on corpus linguistics, but the main aim is for students to work with corpora themselves and conduct small-scale corpus research studies.

You will need access to a digital device, preferably a PC or laptop. You will not necessarily need to bring this to class, though it may be beneficial.

Requirements for participation, required level

I strongly recommend that you have completed Basis3.1 (Introduction to English Linguistics) and Basis3.2 (Introduction to Sociolinguistics), as these lay the foundation for the content we will be discussing.