!"#$%& ()*+%)&,)-& .*/ ,01 .$$()-.

,)"* "2 *13

,1-0*"("+)1& )* ,01 2"#1)+* (.*+%.+1
-(.&&#""45
6.#, 75 !"#$%& ()*+%)&,)-& .*/ ,01 2"#1)+*
(.*+%.+1 -(.&&#""4
Week 2: Corpus Analysis for the teacher/
investigator
1 Corpus Analysis for the teacher/investigator
1hls class wlll explore how Leachers can use learner corpora Lo bulld a beuer
undersLandlng of Lhe needs of learners and how we as Leachers lnLeracL wlLh
Lhem:
2
1. We can sLudy classroom lnLeracuons beLween Leachers and sLudenLs,
Lo beuer undersLand whaL lnLeracuon sLraLegles work, and whlch do
noL.
2. We can also sLudy LexLs wrluen by learners Lo prole Lhelr llngulsuc
ablllues aL varlous levels of proclency, boLh ln Lerms of whaL Lhey can
do (sLudylng Lhelr vocabulary, grammar and dlscourse sLrucLures), and
equally lmporLanL, sLudylng whaL Lhey do wrong (error analysls).
Interaction Analysis: exploring how students and teachers
interact in
the classroom
1hls secuon wlll explore how Leachers can collecL LranscrlpLs of classroom
sesslons, and analyse Lhem Lo dlscover Lhe recurrenL pauerns of lnLeracuon
beLween Leachers and sLudenLs.
Reasons for Analysing Classroom Discourse: lL ls useful pracuce for Lralnee
Leachers (and more advanced Leachers) Lo sLudy Lhe classroom lnLeracuons
of model Leachers" (Lhose Leachers who oLher Leachers [udge as
successful). lrom analyslng Lhe lnLeracuons, Lhe Lralnee Leacher can see
whaL klnd of lnLeracuons sLraLegles Lhe model Leacher uses: means of
leadlng Lhe sLudenLs Lowards undersLandlng, ways of keeplng Lhe class
focused and under conLrol, eLc. Lqually so, Leachers can sLudy Lhelr own
lnLeracuons wlLh sLudenLs, Lo see, ln reecuon, how Lhey lnLeracL, whaL Lhey
do whlch works, and whaL does noL work.
What media to use? vldeo Laplngs of classroom lnLeracuons conLaln much
more lnformauon as Lo whaL ls golng on Lhan a wrluen LranscrlpL of Lhe
lnLeracuon. 1ranscrlpLs wlll noL show expresslons on faces, or Lhe lnLonauon
or volce volume of speakers. lor some purposes, vldeo ls Lhus preferred.
Powever, LranscrlpLs have Lhelr place also, parucularly as LexL ls far slmpler
Lo annoLaLe (ln Lerms of Lurns, exchanges, moves, eLc.). Also, one can look
over a page of LranscrlpL very qulckly, whlle Lo geL aL Lhe LexL" ln a vldeo,
one needs Lo walL whlle lL unfolds.
2.1 Quantitative vs. qualitative use of a corpus
ln a quantitative analysls of a corpus, we count Lhe number of occurrences of
some phenomenon. 1he border beLween LexLs ls noL lmporLanL (for mosL
purposes), Lhe whole corpus ls seen as one large source of daLa, whlch we
can analyse sLausucally.
A qualitative analysls looks closely aL parLs of a LexL Lo see whaL ls happenlng
ln LhaL parL, Lo galn lnslghL lnLo underlylng reasons and mouvauons. We may
annoLaLe Lhe corpus ln boLh cases, ln Lhe rsL case, Lo sLausucally analyse
behavlour wlLhln Lhe lnLeracuon (how oen does Lhe Leacher lnluaLe?). ln
Lhe quallLauve case, annoLauon of a LranscrlpL can be seen as parL of Lhe
process of analysls of Lhe lnLeracuon, pulllng lL aparL and labelllng Lhe
pleces.
1
C'keee eL al. (2007: 220) push a quallLauve vlew on classroom lnLeracuon
corpora. 1hey encourage Leachers Lo collecL lnLeresung exLracLs of classroom
lnLeracuons, each of whlch ls examlned closely, usually Lurn by Lurn. 1he
corpus ls Lhen seen as a 'poruollo', a seL of examples collecLed over Lhe llfe
of Lhe Leacher, Lo refer Lo when addresslng a parucular problem, or plannlng
a new class.
2.2 Framework for Analysing Classroom Interaction
varlous frameworks for modelllng classroom lnLeracuon have been
proposed, mosL noLably by Slnclalr and CoulLhard (1973, 1992) who analyse
classroom dlscourse ln Lerms of acLs, moves, exchanges, Lransacuons and
lessons. lor a dlerenL approach, from Conversauon Analysls, see
Seedhouse (2003).
We wlll follow an approach ln Lhe Slnclalr/CoulLhard framework, buL as
developed by 8erry (1981), Marun (1992), Lgglns and Slade (2003), and
oLhers.
2.2.1 Moves
1he baslc elemenL of dlalogue analysls ls a move: a sLaLemenL, quesuon,
answer, command, eLc. We don'L use Lhese caLegorles however, raLher:
! offer-information (sLaLemenLs and answers): A rectangle has four
sides.
! offer-action (oer): I can do that!
! demand-information (quesuon): What is a rectangle?
! demand-action (command): Please be quiet everyone!
noLe LhaL 'move' ls a semanuc caLegory, and each move Lype (speech-
acL) can be reallsed by a varleLy of dlerenL grammaucal forms, for
example:
uemand-lnformauon
Cer-acuon
uemand-acuon
2.2.2 Exchanges
lnLerrgogauve (defaulL) ueclarauve+rlslng Lone lmperauve
ueclarauve lnLerrogauve lmperauve
lmperauve (defaulL) lnLerrogauve ueclarauve
uoes a recLangle have 4 sldes?
A recLangle has 4 sldes?
Lell me wheLher a recLangle has 4 sldes! l wlll do LhaL
Can l do LhaL?
LeL me do LhaL!
Cpen your books!
Could you open your books?
?ou should open your books.
An exchange ls a sequence of moves whlch LogeLher consLrucL a slngle
proposluon (lnformauon) or proposal (for acuon). 1he slmplesL exchange
conslsLs of a slngle move, a sLaLemenL:
1. A: I love camping.
ln some cases, Lhe addressee can respond Lo Lhe sLaLemenL, lndlcaung LhaL
Lhey accepL Lhe sLaLemenL as
Lrue:
2. A: I love camping.
8. I know.
Lxchanges can also lnvolve a quesuon/answer formaL. 1hese can be yes/no
quesuons:
3. A: Do you like camping? 8: Yes, I do.
...or conLenL quesuons:
4. A: What do you want to do?
8: Go camping.
ln some cases, Lhe asker of Lhe quesuon wlll also sLaLe Lhelr accepLance of
Lhe answer:
3. A: What do you want to do? 8: Go camping.
2
A: Ck. Someumes Lhey re[ecL Lhe answer:
6. A: Do you like camping? 8: Yes, I do.
A: No you dont, silly.
7. A: What do you want to do?
8: Go camping. A: No,
(sLarung a new exchange)
...Its raining.
1he rsL move ln an exchange ls Lhe initiating move, and Lhe oLhers are
responding moves.
2.2.3 Transactions
A Lransacuon ls a sequence of exchanges Lo perform some Lask ln Lhe
classroom. MosL Lyplcally, Lhere ls a boundary marker Lo lndlcaLe a new
Lransacuon ls beglnnlng: 8lghL", Ck", now", conunulng on", eLc. Cen
however, Lhls wlll be marked [usL by lnLonauon/volume (promlnenL
lnLonauon on Lhe rsL words, perhaps wlLh hlgher volume).
1he Leacher wlll Lyplcally begln wlLh a number of lnformlng exchanges
(lnluaLe:glve-lnformauon). 1hls may be followed by some dlrecung
exchanges (e.g., Get out your book and look at page 17). llnally, Lhe Leacher
wlll use some ellclung exchanges Lo ask Lhe sLudenLs quesuons. 1here may
be a boundary marker Lo nlsh Lhe Lransacuon (e.g., Ck, enough of LhaL").
2.2.4 Lesson
A lesson ls a seL of Lransacuons. lL wlll oen correspond Lo a class perlod, buL
noL LhaL a lesson plan may exLend over several classes, or a new lesson may
begln ln Lhe mlddle of a class.
2.2.5 Turns
A turn ls slmply Lhe sequences of moves by a speaker durlng whlch Lhe oLher
paruclpanL(s) do noL speak. 1urns are noL co-exLenslve wlLh exchanges, as a
Lurn may begln wlLh a response Lo one exchange, and conunue wlLh Lhe
lnluauon of anoLher, e.g.,
Someumes a speaker's Lurn wlll conslsL of a serles of sLaLemenLs (e.g., lf Lhey
are Lelllng a sLory, recounung evenLs, eLc.). 1he oLher speaker wlll
occaslonally uuer a backchannel move, e.g., 'ahah', 'oh', 'hmmm', whlch
shows Lhey are llsLenlng (acung as a supporung move) buL wlLhouL acLually
Laklng Lhe oor.
2.3 A Network for analysis
lor parL of Lhe class, we wlll move Lo Lhe language lab and analyse a
dlalogue ln Lhe followlng Lerms:
Lxchange 1

1:

Today we look at relative clauses.
Does anybody know what a relative clause
is?
1urn 1 Lxchange 2
S:
Its a clause which come after a noun. Is
that right?
1urn 2
Lxchange 3
1: Almost ... 1urn 3
3

interact
move
ACT-
TYPE
solo-act frame
INITIATION
initiate
respond
content
MOVE-
elicit
TYPE
provide support
EXCHANGE-
information
MEDIA
action

INTERACT- TYPE2
PHATIC-
greet
phatic
TYPE
farewell
thank

! Interact vs solo-act: Lo geL someLhlng done, we can elLher do lL
ourselves, or lnLeracL wlLh oLhers (e.g., look aL a clock, or ask someone
else whaL ume lL ls).
! Frame: Lhls caLegory covers Lhe moves whlch lndlcaLe Lhe sLarL or
end of a Loplc, e.g., Ck", now, eLc.
! Initiate vs. Respond: a move LhaL sLarLs an exchange ls an lnluaLe
move, and laLer moves are responses. L.g., a quesuon ls an lnluauon,
Lhe answer ls Lhe response.
! Content vs. Phatic: phauc exchanges do noL provlde any real
conLenL, [usL malnLaln soclal relauons (pollLeness), e.g., Lhanks,
greeung, farewells.
! Elicit: a quesuon of some klnd
! Provide: elLher a sLaLemenL (lf lL ls an lnluaung exchange) or an
answer (lf lL ls a response)
! Support: where you acknowledge accepLance or agreemenL wlLh
Lhe oLher person's 'provlde'
move:
INITIATE:ELICIT RESPOND:PROVIDE RESPOND: SUPPORT
! lnformauon vs Acuon: whaL ls belng negouaLed: lnformauon
(sLaLemenL, quesuon) or acuon (command, oer)
2.4 Readings
ChapLer 11 ln C'keee, A. M. McCarLhy, 8. CarLer 2007. From Corpus
to Classroom. Cambrldge: Cambrldge unlverslLy ress.
Lgglns, Suzanne and ulana Slade 2003. Analysing Casual
Conversation. London: Lqulnox. Marun, !ames 1992 English Text:
System and Structure. AmsLrerdam: 8en[amlns.
Seedhouse, aul 2003. The interactional architecture of the language
classroom: a conversation analysis perspective. London:
Slnclalr, !. and CoulLhard, M. 1973. 1owards an Analysls of ulscourse.
Cxford: Cxford unlverslLy ress.
Slnclalr, !. and CoulLhard, M. 1992. '1owards an analysls of dlscourse'.
ln CoulLhard, M. (Ld) 1992. Advances ln spoken dlscourse analysls.
1-34. London: 8ouLledge.
Wallace, Mlchael 1991. Training Foreign Language Teachers: a
Reective Approach. Cambrldge: Cambrldge unlverslLy ress.
. A: do you want to to go camping?
. 8: yes.
. C: great!
4