A Corpus-Based Approach to Civil Engineering Nominal Compounding

Abstract

This paper investigates the various types of compounds used in three branches of civil engineering. The aim is to provide field related learners with a clear insight into this discourse element, and hence, enable them to deal with authentic material. Thus, this research is a cornerstone of a long term objective which is "a Civil Engineering Glossary of Terms". As it was opted for a corpus base approach, Wordsmith, a software program, was used to elaborate a vocabulary list on the basis of frequency of occurrence. Conclusively, it has been found that the structure of noun + noun as well as adjective + noun seem to be overwhelmingly predominant.