ABSTRACT
Learner corpus research is the use of learner corpora to describe, analyze, and explain learner language use. Since the late 1990s, following the work of Granger and her colleagues, a rich body of learner corpus studies has emerged and new insights about how a second language is acquired have been gained by this methodological approach that contribute greatly to the understanding of second language development and second language learners. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive overview of learner corpora and corpus-based research in the field of Chinese as a second language (CSL). We start with a brief introduction of the key concepts and research methodologies in corpus linguistics and learner corpus research. We then introduce the major CSL learner corpora. It is followed by a critical synthesis of CSL corpus studies and examination of major findings gained by this line of research. We conclude with suggestions for future research and implications of corpus-based research for CSL learning and teaching.
