Capturing context for heterogeneous corpus analysis: Some first steps

Heterogeneous corpora are emergent multi-modal datasets which comprise a variety of different records of everyday communication, from SMS/MMS messages to interactions in virtual environments, and from GPS data to phone and video calls. By tracking a person’s specific (inter)actions over time and place, the analysis of such “ubiquitous” corpora enables more detailed investigations of the interface between different communicative modes.This paper outlines some of the ways in which multi-modal, heterogeneous corpora can be utilised in corpus-based analyses of language-in-use and how we can construct richer descriptions of language use in relation to context. The paper further illustrates how the compilation of such corpora may enable us to extrapolate further information about communication across different speakers, media and environments, helping to generate useful insights into the extent to which everyday language and communicative choices are determined by different spatial, temporal and social contexts.