Corpus Representativeness
Corpus Representativeness

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with the limits and pitfalls of compiling and using corpora for language study. It discusses corpus representativeness, balance, design, size and make-up in general, and it considers certain famous cases. A more recent approach, involving the use of the Web as a corpus or as a text archive for further study is debated as well. The role of technology and that of the context (i.e. where and when a corpus is put together) cannot be emphasized enough, as the degree of representativeness of a corpus is a matter of perspective, the compilers’ and users’ alike.

• Details
• Contents