–Corpus linguistics and the analysis of language ideology
Dr. Rachelle Vessey, Carleton University, Canada
20 October, 19:00 (Madrid-Paris-Brussels-Berlin time) Zoom registration link

In this presentation, I will introduce the notion of ‘language ideology’ and how it can be studied using corpus linguistics. Although the notion of ‘ideology’ is widely associated with discourse and is analyzed in various discourse analytic approaches (including corpus-assisted discourse approaches), the concept of language ideology is more specific and has been less frequently tackled using corpus linguistic methods. In this paper, I show how corpus linguistic methods can help identify and examine language ideologies in both their implicit and explicit manifestations. Moreover, I argue that language ideology provides a critical reflexive lens, enabling corpus linguists to (re)consider the nature of the data they examine. To highlight the opportunities and challenges, I draw on examples from research on the United Nations, newspaper articles, and Twitter.

Rachelle Vessey is an Assistant Professor in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies at Carleton University (Canada). Her research centres on language ideologies and how these manifest in discourse.  She is particularly interested in how beliefs about language contribute to social inclusion and exclusion. She has examined language ideologies in large corpora of (English and French) Canadian newspapers, online forums, interviews with domestic workers, United Nations official documents and extremist magazines.

Coordination: Prof Pascual Pérez-Paredes

This event is sponsored by the Facultad de Letras, Universidad de Murcia, and the English Department, Universidad de Murcia.