The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Corpora is a state-of-the-art collection of cutting-edge scholarship at the intersection of second language acquisition and learner corpus research. It draws on data-driven, statistical analysis to outline the background, methods, and outcomes of language learning, with a range of global experts providing detailed guidelines and findings.

The volume is organized into five sections:

• Methodological and theoretical contributions to the study of learner language using corpora – setting the scene
• Key aspects in corpus design, annotation, and analysis for SLA
• Corpora in SLA theory and practice
• SLA constructs and corpora
• Future directions

This is a ground-breaking collection of essays offering incisive and essential reading for anyone with an interest in second language acquisition, learner corpus research, and applied linguistics.

https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Second-Language-Acquisition-and-Corpora/Tracy-Ventura-Paquot/p/book/9780815352877

Cet article The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Corpora est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.

The position is part of a large multidisciplinary project that aims to investigate socio-cognitive conflicts in online educational platforms: “MOOCresearch2.0: A mixed-method and multidisciplinary approach to socio-cognitive conflicts in online educational platforms” (Prof. M. Frenay, Prof. F. Lambotte, Dr. Magali Paquot & Prof. V. Swaen) (see https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl/moocresearch2-0.html for more info). As such, the research assistant will be working with researchers from the Centre for English Corpus Linguistics (https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl), the Social Media Lab (https://www.socialmedialab.be/), the Interdisciplinary Research Group in Socialisation, Education and Training (GIRSEF, https://uclouvain.be/fr/chercher/girsef), the Louvain Research Institute in Management and Organizations (LOURIM, https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/lourim) and the Centre for Natural Language Processing (CENTAL, https://uclouvain.be/fr/instituts-recherche/ilc/cental).

Job description

The research assistant will provide support to the project team by performing a variety of tasks such as:

• Data pre-processing: anonymization, normalization
• Data structuring: linking up different data types (forum posts, user profiles, learners’ questionnaires, logs, etc.)
• Data enrichment: part-of-speech tagging, language recognition, topic detection, etc.
• Data analysis and visualization

The research assistant will also work in close collaboration with the CENTAL to provide access to the compiled corpus via a user-friendly online concordancer. Another important task of the research assistant will be to implement sustainable solutions for the automated treatment of incoming data.

 Requirements and profile:

• Master degree in Natural Language Processing or Linguistics
• excellent record of MA level study;
• programming skills in Python or Perl
• experience with NLP for social media is an asset
• very good command of French and/or English
• excellent and demonstrated analytic skills
• excellent and demonstrated self-management skills
• ability and willingness to work in a team

Terms of employment:

• The contract will be for one year.
• The monthly gross salary is min. 3384 EUR.
• The position requires residence in Belgium
• Applicants from outside the EU are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa or permits, with the assistance of UCLouvain staff department.

Application Deadline: 31 July 2020

Please include in your application:

• a cover letter in French or English, in which you specify why you are interested in this position and how you meet the job requirements outlined above;
• a curriculum vitae in French or English;
• an outline of previous work or research experience in English;
• a copy of your BA and MA degrees;
• a copy of your master thesis and academic publications (if applicable);
• the names and full contact details of at least one academic referee.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (in situ or via video conferencing) in the second half of August.

Enquiries and applications should be addressed by email to Dr. Magali Paquot (Magali.paquot@uclouvain.be)

Cet article Research assistant in Natural Language Processing (part-time) est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.

Many of us are working with learner texts for which we would like to have valid and reliable proficiency measures. However, getting a learner corpus assessed by several trained raters is extremely costly.

The aim of the Crowdsourcing Language Assessment Project (CLAP) is to investigate whether crowdsourcing can offer practical solutions to the time and cost difficulties associated with proficiency assessment of learner texts for research purposes.

We would like to solicit the help of colleagues and students to complete a comparative judgment task. If you agree to help us, we will ask you to choose the ‘best’ text between a pair of texts, ideally repeating the task to reach a min of 15 decisions. Adaptive comparative judgment is based on the assumption that that comparing two performances is easier and more reliable than assigning a score to an individual performance (see more info about the method and the project here).

The current task focuses on the assessment of L2 English but it is our hope that, if results are satisfactory, the approach could also be used to add proficiency assessment measures to a large variety of learner corpora for different languages. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you are interested in collaborating!

Please try CLAPing at http://clap.uclouvain.be

We thank you very much for your help!

With very best wishes,

Magali Paquot, Alexander König, Rachel Rubin, & Nathan Vandeweerd

Cet article Launching the Crowdsourcing Language Assessment Project (CLAP) est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.

2018 Winner:
Suzuki, Y. (2017). The optimal distribution of practice for the acquisition of L2 morphology: A conceptual replication and extension. Language Learning, 67, 512–545.
This study replicated Suzuki & DeKeyser (2017*). Effects of distributed practice on the proceduralization of morphology. Language Teaching Research, 21, 166-188. The main objective of the study was to investigate further the role of linguistic complexity for different levels of L2 grammar practice distribution. The reviewers found this replication study to have a very thorough and clear methodology, clearly explaining all deviations from the original study with strong rationales for the changes made. The materials from Suzuki (2017) are on IRIS.

Call for submissions 2020:
Submissions must include:
i) the article or chapter (with evidence of accepted or ‘in press’ status if not already published);
ii) the materials from IRIS and any adaptations of them (adaptations should also be uploaded to IRIS, with a Note to link it to the earlier study’s materials). Please provide the url(s) linking to the materials on IRIS in a short cover letter.
IRIS now accepts data of all kinds, and we encourage applicants to submit their data (raw or reduced where necessary) along with their other materials.

Review Process
Submissions can be made to iris@iris-database.org at any time. This round will close at midnight (GMT) on 30th November 2020. The study must have been published (or be in press) from 1 December 2018 onwards. All submissions will be reviewed by the IRIS directors and up to two anonymous reviewers. This award will be announced by 5 January 2021.
Please note that IRIS operates the following system to reduce any conflict of interest: If the selected article is from one of the journals in which one of the directors of IRIS is involved as an editor, that person’s evaluations are withdrawn from the final decision-making. If the selected article continues to receive the highest evaluations among the remaining evaluations, then the award can go ahead. If the selected article no longer receives the highest evaluations, all the evaluations are considered again but with the evaluation by the reviewer in question for the previously selected article withdrawn from the process.
Replications using materials developed by IRIS Directors (Emma Marsden, Luke Plonsky, and Cylcia Bolibaugh) are not eligible.

Criteria for award
Submissions will be welcomed from any area of second language research (broadly defined, including multilingualism, language education, research methodology). All methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives are welcome.
Submissions will be reviewed against the following criteria:
• Strength of the justification for the replication.
• Soundness and transparency of methods and analysis, including clarity about how these are similar/different to those of the initial study.
• How well the discussion and conclusions are warranted by the methods, data, and analysis.
• How well the findings from the initial study are integrated into the set-up, analysis and interpretation of the replication.
If two or more submissions meet all the above criteria equally, special consideration will then be given to replications with one or more of the following characteristics:
• Multi-site replications
• Open data
• Pre-registered studies
• Direct or partial replications (though we emphasize that conceptual replications, which change more than one significant variable, are also welcome)

Please direct any questions to iris@irisdatabase.org

Cet article Second round of the IRIS Replication Award is now open. est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.

The position is part of a large multidisciplinary project that aims to investigate socio-cognitive conflicts in online educational platforms: “MOOCresearch2.0: A mixed-method and multidisciplinary approach to socio-cognitive conflicts in online educational platforms” (Prof. M. Frenay, Prof. F. Lambotte, Dr. Magali Paquot & Prof. V. Swaen) (see https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl/moocresearch2-0.html for more info). As such, the research assistant will be working with researchers from the Centre for English Corpus Linguistics (https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl), the Social Media Lab (https://www.socialmedialab.be/), the Interdisciplinary Research Group in Socialisation, Education and Training (GIRSEF, https://uclouvain.be/fr/chercher/girsef), the Center on Consumer Relations and Responsible Marketing (CERMA, https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/lourim/cerma) and the Centre for Natural Language Processing (CENTAL, https://uclouvain.be/fr/instituts-recherche/ilc/cental).

Job description

The research assistant will provide support to the project team by performing a variety of tasks such as:

• Data pre-processing: anonymization, normalization
• Data structuring: linking up different data types (forum posts, user profiles, learners’ questionnaires, logs, etc.)
• Data enrichment: part-of-speech tagging, language recognition, topic detection, etc.
• Data analysis and visualization

The research assistant will also work in close collaboration with the CENTAL to provide access to the compiled corpus via a user-friendly online concordancer. Another important task of the research assistant will be to implement sustainable solutions for the automated treatment of incoming data.

 Requirements and profile:

• Master degree in Natural Language Processing
• excellent record of MA level study;
• programming skills in Python or Perl
• experience with NLP for social media is an asset
• knowledge of statistics and statistical software is an asset
• very good command of French and English
• excellent and demonstrated analytic skills
• excellent and demonstrated self-management skills
• ability and willingness to work in a team

Terms of employment:

• The contract will initially be for one year, two times renewable, with a total of max. three years.
• The monthly gross salary is min. 3317 EUR.
• The position requires residence in Belgium, preferably in or near Louvain-la-Neuve
• Applicants from outside the EU are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa or permits, with the assistance of UCLouvain staff department.

Application Deadline: 31 May 2019

Please include in your application:

• a cover letter in French, in which you specify why you are interested in this position and how you meet the job requirements outlined above;
• a curriculum vitae in French or English;
• an outline of previous work or research experience in English
• a copy of your BA and MA degrees;
• a copy of your master thesis and academic publications (if applicable);
• the names and full contact details of two academic referees.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (in situ or via video conferencing) on 24 or 26 June 2019. Please save the dates!

Enquiries and applications should be addressed by email to Dr. Magali Paquot (Magali.paquot@uclouvain.be)

Cet article Research assistant in Natural Language Processing (part-time) est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.

Cet article Special issue of the IJLCR on Segmental, prosodic and fluency features in phonetic learner corpora est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.

The position is part of the FNRS-funded research project entitled Lexicogrammatical complexity in French as a Foreign Language: the impact of mode. The project is supervised by Magali Paquot (UCLouvain), with Alex Housen (VUB) as co-supervisor.

The project is part of a larger research programme that aims to define and circumscribe the linguistic construct of lexicogrammatical complexity, i.e. the complexity that arises from the (native-like) preferred co-selection of syntactic structures and lexical items in language use, within the framework of usage-based theories of language, and to theoretically and empirically demonstrate its relevance for L2 complexity research, and more generally for theories of L2 use and development (see Paquot, 2017; in press).

The main objective of the PhD project is to investigate the impact of mode (speech vs. writing) on lexicogrammatical complexity, with a focus on L2 French performance data.

Job description:

The research project is a joint venture between the Centre for English Corpus Linguistics (CECL) at the UCLouvain and the Center of Linguistics at the VUB. The candidate will be affiliated to the Institut Langage et Communication (ILC, UCLouvain) and will also prepare a joint UCLouvain-VUB PhD in Linguistics.

Activities that the candidate will perform include:

• develop and implement (i) theoretical concepts in line with the focus of the research project and (ii) appropriate methodological procedures for investigating these concepts;
• conduct corpus-based analyses of L1 and L2 French writing and spoken samples;
• interpret the results of the analyses and report on the project in conference presentations and academic publications;
• by the end of the four-year term, submit and defend a PhD dissertation based on the project.

Requirements and profile:

• Master degree in Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Language & Literature, Natural Language Processing or in Language Learning and Teaching, with a master thesis on a topic relevant to the project (note: a degree in French Linguistics is an asset, not a requirement);
• excellent record of BA and MA level study;
• excellent command of French, very good command of English.
• excellent and demonstrated analytic skills;
• ability to work with common software packages (including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint);
• basic knowledge of corpus-linguistic techniques is a requirement
• knowledge of statistics and statistical software is an asset;
• programming skills in Perl or Python are also an asset;
• excellent and demonstrated self-management skills, ability and willingness to work in a team;
• willingness to live in or near Louvain-la-Neuve and to travel abroad (for short-term research stays and to attend international academic conferences).

Terms of employment:

• the contract will initially be for one year, three times renewable, with a total of four years.
• the candidate receives a doctoral fellowship grant (starting at approx. EUR 1868 net per month) and full medical insurance.
• the position requires residence in Belgium, preferably in or near Louvain-la-Neuve
• applicants from outside the EU are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa or permits, with the assistance of UCLouvain staff department.

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin on 1 February 2018, and continue until the position is filled

Please include with your application:

• a cover letter in English, in which you specify why you are interested in this position and how you meet the job requirements outlined above;
• a curriculum vitae in English;
• a concise academic statement in French, in which you outline your expectations about and plans for graduate study and career goals;
• a copy of BA and MA diplomas and degrees;
• a copy of your master thesis and academic publications (if applicable);
• the names and full contact details of two academic referees.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (in situ or via video conferencing) in the second half of February 2018.

Applications (as an email attachment) and inquiries should be addressed to:

Dr. Magali Paquot

Centre for English Corpus Linguistics

Université Catholique de Louvain

Email: magali.paquot@uclouvain.be

References

Paquot, M. (2017). The phraseological dimension in interlanguage complexity research. Special issue of Second Language Research on ‘Multiple approaches to L2 Complexity’ (guest editors: Alex Housen and Bastien De Clercq). 10.1177/0267658317694221

Paquot, M. (in press). Phraseological competence: a useful toolbox to delimitate CEFR levels in higher education? Insights from a study of EFL learners’ use of statistical collocations. Special issue of Language Assessment Quarterly on ‘Language tests for academic enrolment and the CEFR’.

Cet article PhD fellowship in Corpus Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition (L2 French) est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.

Submissions must include:

i) the article/chapter (with evidence of ‘in press’ status if not already published);
ii) the materials from IRIS and any adaptations of them (adaptations should also be uploaded to IRIS, with a Note to link it to the earlier study’s materials).
IRIS now accepts data of all kinds, and we encourage applicants to submit their raw data along with their other materials.

Review Process
Submissions can be made to iris@iris-database.org at any time. The first round will close 30th November 2018. The study must have been published (or in press) from 2016 onwards. All submissions will be reviewed by the IRIS directors and up to two anonymous reviewers. The first award will be announced by 1 January 2019.

Criteria for award
Submissions will be welcome from any area of second language research (broadly defined, including multilingualism, language education, research methodology). All methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives are welcome.

Submissions will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• Strength of the justification for the replication.
• Soundness and transparency of methods and analysis, including clarity about how these are similar/different to those of the initial study.
• How well the discussion and conclusions are warranted by the methods, data and analysis.
• How well the findings from the initial study are integrated into the set-up, analysis and interpretation of the replication.

Special consideration will be given to:

• Multi-site replications
• Open data
• Pre-registered studies
• Direct or partial replications (though we emphasize that conceptual replications, which change more than one significant variable, are also welcome)

Replications using materials developed by IRIS Directors are not eligible.

https://www.iris-database.org/iris/app/home/replication_award

Please direct any questions to iris@irisdatabase.org.

*The study is labeled as a replication in the title and/or abstract.

Cet article The IRIS Replication Award est apparu en premier sur Magali Paquot.