Reading Theme:
Corpus: Definition, Usage & Examples (2 meaning)
Meaning 1：text collection (corpus)
corpus
/ˈkɔːrpəs/
n.
A big collection of real-world texts, like books, articles, and conversations, used to study how a language is actually used.
text collection
➕
/tɛkst kəˈlɛkʃən/
n.
A systematic and extensive collection of written or spoken language samples used for linguistic analysis and research.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
From Latin 'corpus', meaning 'body', suggesting a whole collection or body of work.
💡 Mnemonic
Corpus sounds like 'core of us' – it's the core collection of texts that defines a language.
📖 Example
The linguist searched the online corpus to see how often people use new slang words.
The language scholar examined the digital text collection to analyze the frequency of emerging informal vocabulary usage.
🔗 Collocations
digital corpus – A collection of texts stored and accessed electronically.
corpus linguistics – The study of language based on large collections of real text.
build a corpus – To compile and assemble a large collection of text data for analysis.
🔄 Synonyms
archive (n.) – A collection of historical documents or records.
collection (n.) – A group of accumulated items of a particular kind.
compilation (n.) – Something, especially a book, report, or list, that is made by collecting different items.
🌱 Derivatives
corpora (n.) – The plural form of corpus.
📖 Cultural Story
Derived from Latin 'corpus' (body). In modern linguistics, a corpus is fundamental for empirical research, enabling analysis of language patterns beyond intuition.
Meaning 2：complete works (corpus)
corpus
/ˈkɔːrpəs/
n.
The complete collection of all the important writings by one author or on one topic.
complete works
➕
/kəmˈpliːt wɜːrks/
n.
The entire body of written or creative work produced by a specific author, or pertaining to a particular subject.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
The library recently acquired the complete corpus of Shakespeare's plays.
The library's new acquisition includes every significant dramatic work written by William Shakespeare.
🔗 Collocations
literary corpus – The complete body of an author's literary writings.
canonical corpus – The collection of works considered to be the most important and authoritative in a field.
philosophical corpus – The collected writings of a philosopher or a school of philosophy.
🔄 Synonyms
oeuvre (n.) – The complete body of work created by an artist, writer, or composer.
canon (n.) – The works of a particular author or artist that are recognized as genuine or important.
collected works (n.) – All the writings of an author published together in one set or series.
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