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Using a corpora approach involves using a series of texts in the language under study as a type of corpus on which to base acquisition. Languages in all forms (written, spoken, performed, formal, informal, etc.) are captured all the time through online and digital platforms, apps, etc. making them highly accessible. Applying corpora in teaching and learning can support activities which involve inductive learning: analysing language to work out how something works, particularly in context. Digital corpora, either those already available or creating one's own customised corpora can be used to streamline this process as they can instantaneously produce all instances of, say, a particular grammatical feature or see how a word is used. This chapter offers an example of how a corpus was used by the author to address a constant stumbling block for learners of Italian--the choice of preposition. It concludes with a brief discussion of the benefits and potential drawbacks of digital corpora in the context of language learning. [For the complete volume, see ED612143.]

Electronic language corpora, and their attendant computer software, are proving increasingly influential in language teaching as sources of language descriptions and pedagogical materials. However, few teachers are clear about their nature or their relevance to language teaching. This paper defines corpora and their types, discusses their contribution to language learning and teaching, and provides examples of their use in class. It also outlines the changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes that are needed for learners and teachers to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the availability of corpus resources. Finally, the paper discusses the limitations of using corpora in language teaching, and the potential pitfalls arising from their uncritical use. Although the paper refers to research and teaching materials and procedures relevant to English language teaching (ELT) it addresses issues related to language teaching in general.

The paper gives an overview of learner corpora and their application to second language learning and teaching. It is proposed that there are four core components in learner corpus research, namely, corpus linguistics expertise, a good background in linguistic theory, knowledge of SLA theory, and a good understanding of foreign language teaching issues (Granger, 2009). Based on the above components, the present paper first introduces learner corpora, then reviews literature concerning the application of corpus linguistics to SLA by means of contrastive interlanguage analysis, and at last discusses the relationship between learner corpora and foreign language teaching.

The paper gives an overview of learner corpora and their application to second language learning and teaching. It is proposed that there are four core components in learner corpus research, namely, corpus linguistics expertise, a good background in linguistic theory, knowledge of SLA theory, and a good understanding of foreign language teaching issues (Granger, 2009). Based on the above components, the present paper first introduces learner corpora, then reviews literature concerning the application of corpus linguistics to SLA by means of contrastive interlanguage analysis, and at last discusses the relationship between learner corpora and foreign language teaching.