Exploring Corpora for ESP Learning

This book investigates the effects of corpus work on the processof foreign language learning in ESP settings. It suggests thatobserving learners at work with corpus data can stimulatediscussion and re-thinking of the pedagogical implications of boththeoretical and empirical aspects of corpus linguistics. The ideaspresented here are developed from the Data-Driven Learningapproach introduced by Tim Johns in the early nineties. Theexperience of watching students perform corpus analysis providesthe basis for two main observations in the book: a) corpus workprovides students with a useful source of information aboutESP language features, b) the process of “search-and-discovery”implied in the method of corpus analysis may facilitate languagelearning and promote autonomy in learning language use. Thediscussion is carried out on the basis of a series of corpus-basedinvestigations by students and provide suggestions for developingnew tasks and tools for language learners.