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Originally associated mainly with work in lexicography and grammar, corpus linguistics has more recently established its relevance for a wide range of linguistic endeavors, including research into register variation and genre analysis, dialectal variation, language change, L2 acquisition, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, stylistics, and forensic linguistics (all of which are covered in chap. A10 of the book under review). It is not least the proliferation of applications that make McEnery, Xiao & Tono's book a timely and more than welcome addition to the expanding literature on the subject.
The book is one of the latest in Routledge's Applied Linguistics Series, an "Advanced Resource Book" featuring three main sections: "Introduction," covering key theoretical and methodological issues; "Extension," bringing together previously published core readings from the field; and "Exploration," in which six case studies show how different research questions can be tackled using corpus linguistic techniques. The three sections are well integrated, but at the same time it is possible for already initiated readers or those with specific interests to read sections of the book in a nonlinear fashion without the main argument falling apart.
Together, the three sections aim to cover the "how to" as well as the "why." Readers are not only introduced to the theoretical foundations and academic debates that have shaped the field in the past two to three decades, but also are given practical guidance in building their own ("DIY" or do-it-yourself) corpora and in using concordance programs such as Wordsmith and MonoConcPro. In addition, the authors provide a thorough review of the use of existing (or "prêt-à-porter" 'ready-to-wear') corpora, such as the 100-million-word British National Corpus, which can be used separately or for comparative purposes to identify particularities in a DIY corpus. There are a glossary, an extensive bibliography, and an appendix of useful Internet links, including two companion websites for the book.
In keeping with the series' stated aims and intended target audience, this book will be of interest to anyone looking for an introduction to state-of-the-art corpus linguistics, be they upper undergraduate students, postgraduates, teachers, or researchers. As a matter of fact, the breadth and depth of coverage is such that large parts of the book are suitable even for those whose...