ABSTRACT
Corpus linguistics is a research approach that facilitates holistic investigations of language variation and use, producing a wealth of reliable and generalizable linguistic distributions that can be extensively analyzed and interpreted. The corpus approach to discourse analysis (DA) utilizes methodological and computational innovations that allow scholars to ask novel, frequency-based research questions on existing linguistic phenomena across many speaking and writing contexts. Everyday discourse is pragmatic, practical, evolving, and unique to individuals or groups of connected individuals. Logical and sound conclusions and generalizations, therefore, can be formalized from corpus-based DA studies, along with their practical and pragmatic implications. Interpretive techniques honed by discourse analysts over the years are certainly invaluable to the discipline. To summarize, corpus approaches can often be used in tandem with qualitative and discourse analytic methods, and corpora and frequency data can be statistically tested to figure out if a consistent, significant pattern exists.
