Corpus and Computational Linguistics I

This seminar introduces students to the principles, methods, and practical applications of corpus and computational linguistics. It focuses on the construction, evaluation, and analysis of corpora — principled collections of linguistic data in digital form — and on computational methods for investigating language at scale. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between linguistic research questions, empirical data, quantitative analysis, and computational tools. The seminar is designed as an active, research-oriented course and therefore depends on students' regular preparation and participation. Students are expected to read relevant literature, explore examples and data, and complete assigned tasks independently in preparation for class meetings. Class sessions will build on this preparation and will be used to discuss methodological issues, analyse data, work with computational tools, and critically evaluate research approaches and results. A central element of the seminar is a semester project in which students develop and investigate a linguistic research question. Throughout the semester, students will be asked to discuss regular updates on their projects and present selected topics, concepts, methods, analytical decisions, and interim results to the class. These updates are intended to make the research process visible, provide opportunities for discussion and feedback, and encourage students to critically reflect on their methodological choices as their projects develop. The semester project concludes with a presentation and submission of a graded term paper presenting the research question(s), relevant background and literature, data and methodology, analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of the findings. The paper should demonstrate students' ability to apply the concepts and methods introduced in the seminar to an empirical research question and to present the progression and results of an analysis in a clear, systematic, and academically appropriate form.