Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies

Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) is a mixed-methods approach that combines the quantitative power of corpus linguistics with the interpretive depth of discourse analysis to investigate how meanings, evaluations, and ideologies are constructed across large collections of text. Pioneered by Alan Partington and colleagues, CADS uses corpus techniques such as keyness, collocation, and concordancing to identify patterns no analyst could find by reading alone, then 'shunts' back to close qualitative reading to interpret what those patterns mean in their discursive context.