16.3644, Sum: Use of Corpora in Language Testing

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LINGUIST List: Vol-16-3644. Wed Dec 21 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.3644, Sum: Use of Corpora in Language Testing

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1)
Date: 21-Dec-2005
From: Fiona Barker < barker.f at cambridgeassessment.org.uk >
Subject: Use of Corpora in Language Testing 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:37:52
From: Fiona Barker < barker.f at cambridgeassessment.org.uk >
Subject: Use of Corpora in Language Testing 
 

Regarding query: http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/16/16-2832.html#2

Dear list members

Further to my recent posting to this and other discussion lists I have
received a number of responses on corpora and language testing, summarised
below:

1) Eric Atwell (Leeds University) directed me to several papers related to
corpora and language testing in the ICAME Journal, published by the
International Computer Archive of Modern and medieval English.

Danny Minn, Hiroshi Sano, Marie Ino and Takahiro Nakamura. 2005. Using the
BNC to create and develop educational materials and a website for learners
of English. vol.29 pp.99-115

Emi Izumi, Kiyotaka Uchimoto and Hitoshi Isahara. 2004. SST speech corpus
of Japanese learners' English and automatic detection of learners' errors.
vol.28 pp.31-48

Eric Atwell, Peter Howarth and Clive Souter. 2003. The ISLE Corpus: Italian
and German Spoken Learners' English. vol.27 pp.5-18

Norma A. Pravec. 2002. Survey of learner corpora. vol.26 pp.81-114

2) Ana Frankenberg-Garcia (Lisbon) mentioned her article:
Frankenberg-Garcia, A. (2005) ''Pedagogical uses of Monolingual and
Parallel Concordances'' ELT Journal 59/3, June 2005, pp 189-198. PDF
<http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/59/3/189?ijkey=3Dd1JJgTgvyxSLz
        MZ&keytype=3Dref> 

3) Chantal Enguehard (Nantes) directed me to her English corpus on metal
chemestry (CoRRecT). This is used as a bank test to evaluate systems that
recognize terms in texts.
<http://www.sciences.univ-nantes.fr/info/perso/permanents/enguehard/recherche/CoRRecT/CoRRecT.htm>

4) Minako Yamada (Japan) is interested in language assessment from the
perspective of sociocultural theory and directed me to her study: Yamada,
Minako (2005). Task proficiency and L1 private speech. IRAL, 43, 81-108.
Task proficiency and L1 private speech
<http://www.extenza-eps.com/WDG/doi/abs/10.1515/iral.2005.43.2.81>
        (link via Extenza)

5) DJ Hatch (Belgrade) provided a reference and is currently looking at the
relationship between the use of corpora based tests and teaching via
'authentic' (or 'natural language') materials.
Alderson, J.C. (1996). Do corpora have a role in language assessment? In
J.A. Thomas & M.H.Short (Eds.), Using corpora for language research
(pp.248-59). London: Longman.
You can also read a couple of short articles I have written on this subject:
Ball, F. (2001). Using corpora in language testing. Research Notes 6, 6-8,
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/rs_notes/rs_nts6.pdf
Barker, F. (2004). Using corpora in language testing. Modern English
Teacher, 13(2), 63-67.
I would like to thank everyone who responded to my query and would welcome
any further information on past, present and future uses of corpora in
language assessment/testing.

        Best wishes
        Fiona Barker

        Dr Fiona Barker
        Validation Officer
        Cambridge ESOL
        1 Hills Road
        Cambridge
        CB6 1EU
        UK

        Tel. +44 1223 553806
        Fax. +44 1223 553083
        e-mail: barker.f at cambridgeassessment.org.uk

        www.CambridgeESOL.org 

Linguistic Field(s): Text/Corpus Linguistics





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