A user-friendly corpus tool for disciplinary data-driven learning: Introducing CorpusMate

Crosthwaite, Peter; Baisa, Vít

doi:10.1075/ijcl.23056.cro

Article published In: International Journal of Corpus Linguistics
Vol. 29:4 (2024) ► pp.595–610

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A user-friendly corpus tool for disciplinary data-driven learning

Introducing CorpusMate

Peter Crosthwaite | University of Queensland

Vít Baisa | Masaryk University

Published online: 16 April 2024

https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.23056.cro

Abstract

Most corpus tools commonly used for corpus-based data-driven learning (DDL) are designed for research rather than teaching purposes, with much DDL research suggesting learners and their teachers often stop DDL after initial training due to tool-related issues like complex user interfaces and system settings. Based on feedback from secondary-age language learners and their teachers in the Australian context, we present CorpusMate (https://corpusmate.com), a new, user-friendly corpus tool that incorporates several publicly available written and spoken corpora across 20 disciplinary subjects. It offers a range of flexible concordancing, n-gram and data visualisation options to ensure a fast, smooth and simple DDL experience for end users.

Keywords: data-driven learning, CorpusMate, concordancing, disciplinary variation, young learners

Article outline

1.Introduction
2.Platform design
3.Corpus data
- 3.1Sources
  - British Academic Written English corpus
  - TED talk corpus
  - Simple English Wikipedia
  - BBC Teach
  - Elsevier OA CC-BY corpus
  - BNC 2014 Spoken
- 3.2Data preparation
- 3.3Disciplinary subject area and mode filters
4.CorpusMate functions
- 4.1Frontend UI
- 4.2Concordancing options
- 4.3Visualisation options
5.Conclusion
Notes
References

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