Corpus Semantics: An Introduction

This book presents an introduction to analysing semantics through corpus linguistics. Corpus linguistics involves the creation of large databases of natural language against which certain hypotheses can be tested. These corpora therefore enable language to be analysed objectively for semantic information. The chapters present an introduction to the main areas of corpus linguistics, including the design and compilation of corpora, and use of corpora within lexicography. The authors use this as a basis from which to introduce the key theories of meaning used in semantics, such as critical discourse analysis, social constructivism and hermeneutics. This step-by-step introduction will be invaluable reading for students of corpus linguistics or semantics.