Using corpus linguistics to investigate - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Using corpus linguistics to investigate discourses of same-sex marriage in the UK ParliamentRobbie LoveESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science (CASS)Lancaster University, UK@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

2. Linguistic study = how people use language to communicateCorpus-based methods = large-scaleA set of methods (McEnery & Hardie 2012: 1)Analyse large amounts of language using computers... ...looking for patternsCorpus = the language data@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Corpus linguisticsBoya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

3. How is language used to construct and reflect discourses? (Baker 2006: 1)= language + the social (Mautner 2009: 32) i.e. argumentation strategiesCDA = an “emancipatory agenda” (ibid.) social problems with a political outlooklanguage made powerful by powerful peoplerepresentation of minority groups (Wodak 2001: 11)@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Critical discourse analysisBoya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

4. My research@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

5. Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill February 2013 – House of Commons Second ReadingUndergraduate assignment@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk My researchBoya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

6. Baker (2004)Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill (1998-2000)Discourses of homosexualityBachmann (2011)Civil Partnership Act (2004)Discourses of homosexual relationships“Love (2013)”Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill (2013)Discourses of same-sex marriage@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Background literatureBoya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

7. Corpus-based methods (McEnery & Hardie 2012: 16-18)+ critical discourse analysis (Wodak 2001)To access discourses of same-sex marriage in the debateTo compare the language of those in favour to those against@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Research aimsBoya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

8. I had to make my own corpus of dataFrom online transcriptMatched speakers to how they votedSplit by stance“Cleaned”Wmatrix (Rayson 2008)KeywordsCollocationConcordanceMethodDebate corpus48,487 wordsPro-equality Anti-equality26,279 words 22,207 words@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

9. Example (1) – marriageCollocates = extension vs. redefinitionPro-equality(same-) sex, equal, civil, gay, institution, changed, enter, somehow, extending, important, weaken, believe, state, definition, undermine, restrictions, redefinition, manAnti-equality(same-) sex, traditional, redefinition, man, nature, definition, meaning, union, Coalition, gay, redefine, purpose, commitment, union, institution, redefined, aspects, understanding, state, essential, simply, two, under@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

10. Example (1) – marriage“…traditional marriage is under threat, and has been for many years.”Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley, Conservative, anti-reform)@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

11. Keyword comparison Pro keywordsAnti keywords1peoplegovernment2gaynot3rightthis4hopelegislation5religiouswoman6supportbecause7iprime_minister8wethe9freedomno10todayof11herights12toodefinition13knowoppose14alsoman15organisationsadultery16believechange@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

12. Example (2) – gay@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk 51ns will be watching us todaynot justgaypeople , but those who want to live iIdentity52, its about weddings in churches forgaypeople , isnt it ? That is the misappIdentity53am thinking particularly of youngergaypeople , who did not have to grow upIdentity54d legal rights to be established forgaypeople . However , the difficulty thaIdentity55female relationships as well as forgaypeople . I hope that there will be chIdentity56ain a valid and respected choice forgaypeople according to their lights andIdentity57r bastards . We need to stand up forgaypeople and their civil rights , but wIdentity58be threatened because a few thousandgaypeople are permitted to join ? What wIdentity59l have some way to go , not just forgaypeople but in other areas too . My paIdentity60int that has not been raised is thatgaypeople have always been allowed to maIdentity61the way in which the experiences ofgaypeople in Bristol have changed duringIdentity62recognise that there is a place forgaypeople in our society and that they hIdentity63he law fully recognises the place ofgaypeople in our society will really matIdentity64dermined in any way by the fact thatgaypeople in the future might also be abIdentity65That was the first time I saw othergaypeople on a TV screen and it was theIdentity66to slam them shut . It is said thatgaypeople should accept civil partnershiIdentity67ernment , to guarantee the rights ofgaypeople to marry each other . It has bIdentity68ago , it was illegal for lesbian andgaypeople to serve in the military . TheIdentity69r reasons that are well known . Manygaypeople today appreciate civil partnerIdentity70. Does my hon. Friend agree with thegaypeople who have approached me , who Identity71nds . The Bill is not just about thegaypeople who want to get married ; it iIdentity72s the Prime Minister has done . Manygaypeople will , for their own reasons ,IdentityBoya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

13. Example (2) – gaygay = identity vs. behaviour“gay” as…Pro-equalityAnti-equalityidentity75 (78.9)18 (62.1)behaviour20 (21.1)11 (37.9)TOTAL95 (100)29 (100)@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

14. Example (3) – nono = process vs. pleaAnti-equalityPro-equality@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk 34constituents . Thirdly , if there isnomandate , where is the demand for thi35in the Conservative party . There isnomandate for it and it has huge potent36was very poor . Secondly , there isnomandate for the Bill . The Prime Mini37also heard that the Government havenomandate for the legislation in their38ual treatment . As a party , we havenomandate to introduce any change to th29he civil partnership legislation wasnoless controversial than the Bill befo30heir love is no less significant andnoless important . I passionately belie31heterosexual couple . Their love isnoless significant and no less importan32perienced in their relationships wasnoless than anyone elses love . The hon33arriage as somebody with no faith isnoless valid than that of Members who sBoya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

15. Some conclusionsCorpus-based methods are useful!Clear, quantifiable differencesKeywords are a good starting point, but they only act as “lexical signposts” (Baker 2004: 90)Qualitative analysis must followAnti-equality debaters talk about LGBT people in different ways to those in favour@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September

16. Thank youBachmann, I. (2011) Civil partnership – “gay marriage in all but name”: a corpus-driven analysis of discourses of same-sex relationships in the UK Parliament. In Corpora, 6(1). Pp. 77-105.Baker, P. (2004) ‘Unnatural Acts’: Discourses of homosexuality within the House of Lords debates on gay male law reform. In Journal of Sociolinguistics, 8(1). Pp. 88-106.Baker, P. (2006) Using Corpora in Discourse Analysis. London: Continuum.Mautner, G. (2009) Corpora and Critical Discourse Analysis. In Baker, P. (ed.) Contemporary Corpus Linguistics. London: Continuum. Pp. 32-46.McEnery, T. and Hardie, A. (2012) Corpus Linguistics: Method, Theory and Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Rayson, P. (2008). From key words to key semantic domains. In International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 13(4). Pp. 519-549.They Work For You. (2013) [Online] Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill: Second Reading. Available at: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2013-02-05b.125.0. [Accessed 04 March 2013].Wodak, R. (2001) What CDA is about – a summary of its history, important concepts and its developments. In Wodak, R. and Meyer, M. (eds.) Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Pp. 1-13.@lovermob @CorpusSocialScir.m.love@lancaster.ac.uk Boya Forum 2013 – BFSU – 14th September