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Part of
Exploring Language and Society with Big Data: Parliamentary discourse across time and space
Edited by Minna Korhonen, Haidee Kotze and Jukka Tyrkkö
[Studies in Corpus Linguistics 111] 2023
► pp. 89–117

Chapter 3
Hansard at Huddersfield

Streamlined corpus methods and interactive visualisations to pursue research aims beyond corpus linguistics

| University of Lancaster
| University of Huddersfield
| University of Huddersfield
| University of Deusto

This chapter describes one project’s approach to fostering uptake of corpus tools in research beyond corpus linguistics. It introduces the Hansard at Huddersfield web application, a new search tool that combines tried-and-tested corpus tools with interactive visualisations to make Hansard, the official record of the UK parliament (1803–2021), more accessible for in-depth study by non-specialists. The chapter outlines the thinking behind and development of the Hansard at Huddersfield web interface and exemplifies how the site’s adapted corpus tools offer non-linguists new entry points for Hansard research through three small sample studies. It further reflects on the process of preparing the large Hansard corpus to allow insights to be gleaned from corpus-style searches by researchers with relatively little training.

Keywords: Hansard, parliamentary debates, corpus applications, data visualisation, impact beyond linguistics
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Hansard’s potential for insights into governance
  • 3.The Hansard at Huddersfield website
    • 3.1Aims and challenges
    • 3.2Data preparation
    • 3.3A summary of the functions on the website
    • 3.4Corpus tool inclusion criteria
  • 4.Using Hansard at Huddersfield to pursue research aims
    • 4.1(Un)lawful assembly
    • 4.2Austerity
    • 4.3World Wars
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 13 November 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.111.03jef
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