O Corpus of English Language Videos: uma nova ferramenta de corpus on-line para aprendizagem direcionada por dados

Abstract

The main topic of this research is the use of corpora in the teaching and learning of the English language, and its main objective was the conception and development of the Corpus of English Language Videos (CELV), along with an on-line tool for queries in this corpus, which includes, among other functions, the generation of concordance lines. The main theoretical basis for the development and application of the corpus and its query tool was Data-Driven Learning, an approach to the teaching and learning of languages which proposes that the role of the student is that of a language investigator who conducts empiric observation of the linguistic data contained in a corpus, aided by the teacher and the concordancer and following an inductive cognitive process for learning. The main methodological basis for the implementation of the project was Corpus Linguistics, the field in Linguistics dedicated to the compilation and analysis of language samples in electronic format using computers, and Computational Linguistics, the field in Linguistics aimed at the creation and use of computer tools for the processing of languages. A corpus was compiled using YouTube video subtitles, and a computer system for searches in this corpus was developed and published on the internet, to be used by researchers, professors and students interested in the teaching and learning of English. The corpus has enough size and linguistic variation to be used as a source for examples of English language in use, and its query tool enables not only the observation of concordance lines in written form, but also the access to the original videos which compose the sample, allowing the user to watch and listen to the words and expressions searched in the corpus in audiovisual format. The main source of inspiration for the compilation of the corpus and development of the tool was the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The CELV website has a simple and easy-to-use search interface, aiming to help promote the spread of Corpus Linguistics techniques so that more researchers, professors and students may benefit from the advantages of using corpora in their researches, teaching and learning activities. After the conclusion of the development of the corpus and the tool, both were tested with English teachers, and the opinions of these participants of the research about the usefulness of CELV in their teaching activities were raised, receiving, in general, positive feedback. Additionally, suggestions about topics of the English language whose learning can be enriched by using this tool were made. It is expected that the product of this research may contribute with the teaching and learning of English and with the literature about the applications of corpora in this context.