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Corpus linguistics 25+years on

På svenska

Author

  • Jan Svartvik

Editor

  • Roberta Facchinetti

Summary, in English

In the history of English language research on computerised corpora, the year 1977 marks an important event with the birth of ICAME - the International Computer Archive of Modern and Medieval English - which set off international co-operation on a large scale. The use of computer corpora, from being a fringe activity, has become a mainstream methodology. Yet there was corpus life also before ICAME. I have sometimes been asked why, in the unsupportive linguistic environment of the 1960s, I chose to become 'a corpus linguist' - there might have been moments when being so named felt like discovering your name on the passenger list for the Titanic. This contribution is very much a personal memoir of those early days when the first corpora were being compiled when computers were rare, expensive, unreliable and inaccessible to ordinary folk - huge machines located inside glass doors and operated by engineers dressed in white coats, and when CD only stood for Corps Diplomatique.

Department/s

Publishing year

2007

Language

English

Pages

11-25

Publication/Series

Corpus Linguistics 25 Years On

Issue

62

Document type

Conference paper

Publisher

Rodopi

Topic

  • Languages and Literature

Conference name

ICAME 25

Conference date

2004-05-19 - 2004-05-23

Conference place

Verona, Italy

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0921-5034
  • ISBN: 978-90-420-2195-2