ABSTRACT
In chapter 4, I pointed out that basic measures such as word frequencies are definitely not the best way to understand the aboutness of a corpus. Here in chapter 5, I move on from basic measures to analysis of key words. Key words occur statistically more often in a study corpus than in other registers (represented by a reference corpus or corpora) and thus indicate what makes a corpus unique. They are, therefore, more informative than frequently occurring words. More specifically, in this chapter I discuss tutors’ and student writers’ key function words. Function words, as opposed to content words, link words, phrases, and clauses together to create syntax (Fries 1952). In contrast to function words, content words supply information and meaning. (I cover key content words in chapter 6.) Throughout chapter 5, I pan out from the microlevel of key function words in order to discuss their use in context.
