Corpus Linguistics & Disciplinary Literacies Lab

Mission

The Corpus Linguistics and Disciplinary Literacies lab conducts research on discipline- and profession-specific genre practices, second language writing, and technology-based writing pedagogies. Founded in 2023, our lab draws on a variety of corpus linguistic and discourse analysis techniques and collaborates across the University of Memphis to apply our findings to pedagogical projects. Faculty-graduate students collaborations lie at the heart of all scholarly and pedagogical activities. 

Current Members

Dr. J. Elliott Casal
jecasal@memphis.edu
Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English
Director of Online Programs, Department of English
Assistant Director, Institute for Intelligent Systems

Ghadi Matouq
gmlkbkbi@memphis.edu
PhD Student, Applied Linguistics, Department of English

Hana Alqabba
halqabba@memphis.edu 
PhD Student, Applied Linguistics, Department of English

Infographics and Resources

"Steps for Corpus Building," created by CLDL members Hana Alqabba and Ghadi Matouq

Publications and Presentations

Casal, J. E., King, S., & Javanmardi, P. (2026). Web-Based Corpora. In M. Kessler (Ed.), Online and Internet-Based Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. John Benjamins.

Casal, J. E., Kurtz, L. M. (2026). Writing with Legal English: An Integrated Formal and Functional Analysis of Case Facts. The Future of Teaching Law and Language, Austrian Association for Legal Linguistics.

Hayashi, S., & Casal, J. E. (2025). Qualitative designs in Data-Driven Learning research. In L. McCullum & D. Tafazoli (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Computer Assisted Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan.

Matouq, G., & Alqabba, H. (2025). Building and cleaning corpora for linguistic analysis: A practical guide. Applied Language Learning, 34(1). https://www.dliflc.edu/ojs/ALL/article/view/32

Casal, J. E., Stewart, C., & Windsor, A. (2025). "It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts’ medical and financial advice. PLoS One, 20(5).

Casal, J. E., Zhang, G., Matouq, G., & Alqabba, H. (2024). ‘These results are inconsistent’: ‘This/these + shell noun’ patterns in Engineering theses and research articles. Journal of Second Language Studies Special Topic Issue ‘Corpus Linguistics and Second Language Studies.’  

Alqabba, H., Matouq, G., & Casal, J. E. (March, 2024). Formulaic language in research articles and public facing summaries: A phrase-frame perspective. Paper presented at the 46th annual AAAL Conference, Houston, TX.

Casal, J. E., & Yoon, J. (2023). Frame-based formulaic features in L2 writing pedagogy: Variants, functions, and student writer perceptions in academic writing. English for Specific Purposes, 71, 102-114.

Matouq, G., & Casal, J. E. (March, 2024). Linguistic complexity in public-facing summaries of English language Linguistics studies: How researchers 'simplify’ their language. Poster presented at the 46th annual AAAL Conference, Houston, TX.

Ruggiero, D., & Casal, J. E. (2023 November). Ayúdame! Multilingualism, access, and health disparities: The importance of Spanish proficiency in the US healthcare system. NED talks, University of Memphis Ned McWherter Library.

Current Scholarly Projects

• Relationship between task complexity and writing complexity in genre-based writing instruction (with Dr. Rebecca Adams)
• Linguistic and rhetorical features of public-facing research summaries
• Technology use in Language for Specific Purposes (with Dr. Diana Ruggiero and Dr. Alba Garcia Alonso)
• Linguistic variation in human and ChatGPT language across finance and medical domains (with Dr. Christopher Stewart and Dr. Alistair Windsor)

Current Pedagogical Projects

• Scenario-Based Assessment and Writing Pedagogy (with Dr. Katie Fredlund, Dr. John Sabatini, and ETS)
• Automated Genre Analysis Assistant  (with Dr. Detong Xia)
• Instructor and student focus groups on GenAI and writing pedagogies in English (with Dr. Will Duffy)