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Teaching Pragmatics with Corpus Data: The Development of a Corpus-Referred Website for the Instruction of Routine Formulas in Russian

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Yearbook of Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics 2016

Part of the book series: Yearbook of Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics ((YCLP))

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Abstract

While there has been an increasing number of studies incorporating the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) applications in pragmatics instruction over the past decade, these applications have yet to harness the explanatory and illustrative power of corpus data. The current chapter documents the process of developing a corpus-based online instructional website for the teaching of routine formulas in Russian, including a description of the process of selecting routine formulas using corpus methodologies and of designing the online modules using excerpts from the oral subcorpus of the Russian National Corpus. Recommendations based on this experience are provided for others interested in creating similar resources. Learner feedback on the site itself, with particular focus on the comprehensibility and usefulness of the corpus excerpts, is presented to demonstrate the effects of corpus-referred instructional materials. This project promotes the case for the utilization of corpus methodologies in pragmatics-focused CALL applications as it provides insight into developmental processes, benefits, and potential future avenues of exploration.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hispanic Studies and Modern and Classical Languages, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Edie Furniss

Authors
  1. Edie Furniss
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edie Furniss .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Filología Inglesa/Facultad de Filosofía, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Jesús Romero-Trillo

Appendix A

Appendix A

  1. 1.

    Did you encounter the expressions presented in the module in other contexts, such as in conversation or in Russian texts (e.g., movies, songs, writing)? If so, where did you encounter them?

  2. 2.

    Did you find that you were better able to understand the expressions presented in the module when you encountered them in Russian conversation/texts?

  3. 3.

    Did you ever use the expressions presented in the module in your spoken Russian? If so, when and with whom? Please give concrete examples if you remember them.

  4. 4.

    If you used the expressions presented in the module, how did using them make you feel (e.g., more fluent; awkward because I wasn’t quite sure how/when to use them; etc.)?

  5. 5.

    Please comment on any other aspect of the web-based module or the expressions presented in it that you feel would be useful to the researcher.

  6. 6.

    Which phrases were less common/less used?

  7. 7.

    Do you find a self-study module effective?

  8. 8.

    Do you think conversational language is better used in conversation or from a textbook/website?

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Furniss, E. (2016). Teaching Pragmatics with Corpus Data: The Development of a Corpus-Referred Website for the Instruction of Routine Formulas in Russian. In: Romero-Trillo, J. (eds) Yearbook of Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics 2016. Yearbook of Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41733-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41733-2_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-41732-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-41733-2

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