Scouting for Data: Creation Process of a Non-Native Speakers’ Specialized Spoken Corpus

Authors

Keywords:

corpus-based study, ESP, specialized spoken English corpus, corpus compilation, transcription

Abstract

The availability of specialized oral material in the field of recreational flying in general and, specifically in the sub-field of hang gliding, is scarce. Therefore, in order to conduct a study of spoken English produced by non-native speakers within the international hang gliding community, it became necessary for the author to collect her own data and compile the specialized corpus she would then analyze. The process involved several phases, which began with the definition of the universal and sample populations, then the design and implementation of an interview, followed by the transcription of the recordings leading to the creation of the finalized files. This article presents a detailed description of the compilation process of this corpus-based research and covers some material which could be helpful to others pursuing or considering to embark in similar projects. It also includes some examples of preliminary findings, since it is still an ongoing project.

Author Biography

Claudia Mejia De la Pava, Universidad de Salamanca

Claudia Mejia De la Pava is a PhD Candidate at the University of Salamanca in Spain. She earned her Master of Arts, summa cum laude, from the Università degli Studi di Milano, in Italy. Born in New York City, she is a hyperpolyglot who has lived, worked and studied in multilingual and multicultural environments, for more than 25 years. Her research focuses on intercultural communication and mediation as well as ELF emphasizing on ESP. Since 1997, besides being an English teacher, she has served as translator and cultural mediator in numerous international sport events in the field of recreational aviation and, between 2009 and 2018, she worked for the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

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Published

07-07-2023

How to Cite

Mejia De la Pava, C. (2023). Scouting for Data: Creation Process of a Non-Native Speakers’ Specialized Spoken Corpus. Anales De Lingüística, (10), 45–79. Retrieved from https://revistas.uncu.edu.ar/ojs/index.php/analeslinguistica/article/view/6980

Issue

No. 10 (2023)

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Article

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