20ISSN: 2181-1385 ISI: 0,967 | Cite-Factor: 0,89 | SIS: 1,9 | ASI: 1,3 | SJIF: 5,771 | UIF: 6,1
IMPACT OF CORPORA ON TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Otakhon Rustam ugli Radjabkulov
Uzbekistan State University of World languages
Gulnoza Giyosiddinovna Radjabova
Senior teacher, Uzbekistan State University of World languages
This article aims to determine the effectiveness of corpora in teaching English and TEFL teachers are aware of the use of corpora and what obstacles they face in using corpora in teaching English. We interviewed TEFL teachers in three countries and we collected data through a questionnaire. The results are not as positive as we expected. Although there are many advantages of corpus in teaching English, the results of the study show that many TEFL teachers use corpora in teaching English. declared that he could not use it or did not use it.
INTRODUCTION
Corpora in language teaching is a relatively new approach that involves the use of large collections of authentic language data for language learning and teaching. Corpus-based language teaching is a powerful tool that has revolutionized the way language is taught and learned in recent years. In this article, we will discuss the importance of corpora in language teaching and how it has contributed to the improvement of language learning and teaching.teaching is based on the idea that language learning should be rooted in real usage, rather than in theoretical explanations and isolated examples.Different linguistists propose various assumptions.The aim of corpus-based language teaching is to promote more effective and efficient learning outcomes, as learners are exposed to examples of authentic language use and are able to observe patterns and rules in context. According to Hunston,Corpora are collections of written or spoken language data, which can include anything from newspaper articles and books to transcripts of conversations and speeches. As for him,These data sets can be analyzed using specific software programs to identify patterns of language use, such as collocations, linguistic features of different genres, and variations in usage over time or across different contexts. Corpus-based language learning involves incorporating these
ABSTRACT
analyses into more natural and contextualized way.
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McEnery considers that one key advantage of corpus-based language teaching is that it offers learners exposure to a wide variety of authentic language use, beyond the limited examples of language provided by textbooks and classroom materials. This can help learners to develop a more intuitive understanding of the language, as they encounter examples of how different words and phrases are typically used in context. According to Reppen,"Corpus-based language teaching can also help learners to develop more natural and authentic speaking and writing skills, as they learn how to use language in a way that is typical of native speakers".
According to Biber,"Another advantage of corpus-based language teaching is that it can help to promote greater accuracy and clarity in language use. By studying data from real language use, learners can gain insight into common errors and misunderstandings, and learn how to avoid them in their own writing and speaking". Corpus analysis can also help learners to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the language, as they observe patterns and rules that are not always evident in isolated examples.
Corpus linguistics in vocabulary teaching
The use of corpus linguistics has become increasingly important in English vocabulary teaching in recent times. Corpus linguistics is a field of study that involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of large compilations of written and spoken language data. This data is then used to develop a better understanding of how language is used and to improve language teaching. Tognini-Bonelli considers that corpus linguistics plays a crucial, analysis, and annotation of large collections of natural language data, known as corpora. In the context of English language teaching, corpora are used to identify the most frequent and useful words and phrases to teach, as well as to provide authentic language examples that can be used in the classroom and in language learning materials.
One of the main advantages of using corpora in English vocabulary teaching is that it enables teachers and learners to focus on the most relevant and frequent language patterns and constructions. By analyzing large collections of authentic language data, linguists can determine which words and phrases are most commonly used in different contexts and genres, and thus help learners to prioritize their acquisition of these items. This is particularly useful in the case of English, which is a highly varied and complex language with many different registers and dialects. Another benefit of corpus-based vocabulary teaching is that it provides teachers and learners with authentic language examples that are directly relevant to their communicative needs. Instead of relying on sterile textbook examples or contrived language exercises,
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learners can see and hear how words and phrases are used in real-world contexts and situations. This can help to improve learners' fluency and communicative competence, as well as their ability to use language flexibly and creatively. Moreover, Leech assume thatcorpus-based vocabulary teaching can help to promote a more learner-centered and autonomous approach to language learning. By using corpora and other digital resources, learners can take greater control over their own learning and explore language patterns and constructions in a way that is meaningful and relevant to them. This can also help to foster learners' motivation and engagement, as they are more likely to be interested in the language they are learning if they see how it relates to their own interests and needs.
METHODS
In this research we used qualitative data collection is the process of gathering non-numerical data through interviews and surveys that allow for the collection of rich, detailed, and subjective information about a topic or phenomenon. Qualitative data collection methods often involve open-ended questions and prompts that allow participants to provide in-depth and nuanced responses. Examples of qualitative data collection techniques include focus groups, content analysis, descriptive information. It usually involves open-ended questions and interviews and surveys have been conducted online and offline.
We conducted our interviews and surveys with TEFL teachers from Uzbekistan, Iran, Indonesia , and based on them, to what extent they use corpus in teaching English and what are their advantages, and the possibilities of using corpus in teaching English. We conducted our interviews and surveys with TEFL teachers from Iran, Indonesia, online using Zoom and Facebook platforms, and in Uzbekistan, interviews with TEFL teachers were conducted face-to-face and surveys were conducted online via Telegram.
RESULTS
Indonesian and Iranian TeFL teachers expressed different opinions and views on using Corpus in English language teaching. In an online interview with an Iranian TEFL teacher, he said, Corpus is a real inexhaustible resource in English teaching, but it takes time., and linking corpora directly to the learner is somewhat distracting to the learner. He stated that corpora are often used as a source of authentic material in teaching grammar and collocation. Other Iranian TEFL teachers also stated in the online survey that they use the corpus mainly for teaching material preparation. The opinion of
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Indonesian respondents is slightly different, most of them use the corpus directly through Corpus rather than preparing teaching material. They stated that teaching in the Data Driven Learning method is effective and that this method is widely used by high-level learners. When we interviewed TEFL teachers in Uzbekistan about the use of corpora in teaching English, two-thirds of them said that they did not know about corpus and corpus linguistics, and the remaining part said that they knew about corpus and corpus linguistics and used COCA corpus to some extent and uses it in teaching English language collations for upper intemadiate students.
CONCLUSION
Despite these factors, there are many benefits to incorporating corpora into English language teaching. For example, corpora can provide students with authentic, diverse, and up-to-date language examples, which can help to develop their linguistic competence and communicative skills. Additionally, analyzing and comparing different language usages in a corpus can help students to understand how language is used in context, which can improve their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.Although the vast amount of linguistic data available in corpora, many English language teachers do not use them in their teaching. There are several reasons for this reluctance, including issues related to access, training, and perceptions of usefulness. We conducted surveys and interviews with TEFL instructors from Uzbekistan, Iran, and Indonesia to determine how much they utilize corpora to teach English, what its benefits are, and what other options exist.Our research results show that TEFL teachers do not use corpora in teaching English and they expound different reasons . Firstly, some teachers may simply not be aware of the existence of corpora or what they are. While corpora are widely used in linguistics research, they are not as well-known outside of academic circles. Even if teachers are aware of corpora, they may not have the technical skills or knowledge to access and analyze them effectively.
Secondly, there may be practical limitations to using corpora in teaching. Incorporating corpora into lesson plans requires extra time and effort, as well as access to technology and software. Additionally, teachers may feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data available in a corpus and may struggle to identify what is relevant for their students' learning needs. Moreover, there may be a lack of institutional support for the use of corpora in teaching. Resources such as training, software, and access to corpora may not be readily available to teachers, or may be deemed unnecessary or too costly by their institutions.
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ISSN: 2181-1385 ISI: 0,967 | Cite-Factor: 0,89 | SIS: 1,9 | ASI: 1,3 | SJIF: 5,771 | UIF: 6,1
REFERENCES
1. Douglas Biber, Corpus-based Research in Applied Linguistics: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2015.
2. Hunston ,S(2002).Corpora in Applied linguistics.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
3. Leech, G. (1992). Corpora and theories of linguistic performance. In J. Startvik (Ed.), Directions in corpus linguistics (pp. 105-122). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
4. McEnery, T. and Hardie, A. (2012) Corpus Linguistics: Method, theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Reppen, R. (2010). Using corpora in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6. Tognini-Bonelli, T. 2001. Corpus Linguistics at Work. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
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