Continuing Learner Corpus Research: Challenges and Opportunities

For over thirty years, Learner Corpus Research (LCR) has increasingly contributed to applied linguistics, notably to Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching and Learning, Language Testing and Assessment, as well as to other neighbouring fields. The fourteen chapters in this volume address the following thematic areas: corpus compilation and annotation; text cohesion in learner interlanguage; lexical and grammatical complexity in written and spoken learner language; classroom discourse and the pragmatics of student email writing. They not only address the challenges posed by recent advances in LCR, but they also highlight the opportunities afforded by learner corpora representing various L2s (i.e., Chinese, English, German, Italian, and Swedish) and by the use of cutting-edge investigative methods. The present studies can be considered representative of the innovative approaches and methodological rigour which characterise LCR, and pave the way for further exploration and application of the results in the field.