A textual corpus is a large and structured set of texts used for linguistic research and analysis. These collections can include written works, spoken language transcripts, or any other form of text. Researchers use corpora to study language patterns, vocabulary usage, and grammatical structures across different contexts and genres. Corpora can be specialized, focusing on specific subjects like literature, science, or social media, or they can be general, encompassing a wide range of texts. They are essential tools in fields such as computational linguistics, natural language processing, and sociolinguistics, helping scholars understand language in its various forms.