Minor in Spanish

Dineo Moja, 2018

Spanish Corpora in the Classroom

Dineo Moja

This past September, I participated in a conference organized by the Foreign Language Association of Virginia, better known as FLAVA. FLAVA is an organization whose purpose is “to promote and enhance the study, teaching and learning, use, and appreciation of foreign languages, cultures, and literatures.” Although mainly language educators participate in the conference, students are also welcome to attend or present their research. I was invited to participate in the conference by my former Spanish professor, Sonia Balasch. Together, we researched and prepared a presentation on the topic of linguistic corpora.

Linguistic corpora are collections of oral and/or written naturally-occurring language, usually available in the form of internet databases. On online corpora, educators and students can search key words, verbs, phrases, and topics to find samples of naturally-occurring language in the form of interviews, dialogue, novels, poetry, and other written and spoken forms. Although knowledge and use of linguistic corpora is not common among students and educators, it is a valuable tool in teaching and learning a language. Our presentation, “Spanish Corpora in the Classroom: A Rich Source of Teaching Materials,” aimed to illustrate the value of this tool in the classroom.

In our presentation, Professor Balasch and I explained to our audience of language educators that corpora are useful in teaching and learning Spanish grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, as they provide authentic samples of the language that may not be available in traditional learning materials, such as textbooks. Because corpora samples provide a more accurate depiction of how the Spanish Language is naturally used in conversation and writing, corpora gives students a sense of how Spanish is used in the real world. By completing activities from the educator, students can improve their proficiency in writing, speaking, and listening to Spanish. Additionally, educators can use corpora to demonstrate the application of grammar and vocabulary that they have learned from class and textbooks. Professor Balasch and I also demonstrated how Spanish corpora is useful in helping students learn about Hispanic and Latino cultures, by giving them a glimpse into the lives, traditions, and cultures of various Spanish-speaking individuals and groups that may not be available in textbooks or class materials. We ended our presentation by showing the audience how to access language corpora online, so that they could use it in teaching students Spanish.

FLAVA also exposed me to valuable language education resources. While most of the information was geared towards educators, I found information about study abroad and education programs, Spanish organizations, future conferences that I could participate in, and materials that I could use to better my Spanish. Participating in the FLAVA conference was an amazing experience. I really appreciated getting the opportunity to research a linguistic topic in depth, and learning about a useful tool that I and other students can use to improve Spanish language skills.