Journal of Second Language Studies - Volume 7, Issue 2, 2024

Abstract

The study reported on in this paper uses data from a large, pseudolongitudinal corpus of second language (L2) learner writing to investigate how L2 knowledge of verb-argument constructions (VACs) develops from low-beginner to upper-intermediate proficiency levels. The focus is on learners from two L1 backgrounds (L1 German and L1 Spanish) and on a subset of VACs that contain modal auxiliaries in combination with lexical verbs (e.g., subject-modal-verb, as in I can cook). For each VAC, L1, and proficiency level, frequency lists of verbs were created and compared across datasets. Reference data on the same constructions was extracted from a corpus of L1 writing. Results suggest that modal VACs become more frequent, less predictable, more productive, and more aligned with L1 production as learner proficiency increases. The findings of this study help to expand our understanding of the processes that underlie L2 construction acquisition.

Abstract

This study uses a corpus-based method to analyze the developmental paths of syntactic and lexical complexity in Chinese EFL learners across three proficiency levels. It examines six pieces of English essays written in one semester under school instruction. The goal is to identify both group results and individual developmental paths. The results show that both groups and individuals at the same level follow a dynamic, nonlinear development path, but with different trajectories. The development of syntactic complexity in their writings is marked by variability and interaction between different linguistic complexity subsystems. Chinese EFL learners at three proficiency levels are each in a different stage of L2 development. The study concludes with important and practical pedagogical implications for L2 instruction.

Abstract

While previous research has revealed the form and function features of citations across diverse disciplines, writer groups of varying expertise, and academic genres, limited attention has been given to the developmental trajectories in citation practices among novice academic writers. To address this issue, we conducted a corpus-based, discipline-specific analysis of the citation practices of L2 English novice academic writers over time. Using a multi-perspective analytical approach, we examined citation types and functions, along with reporting verbs and reporting structures in 39 linguistics course papers written by 13 L2 English undergraduate students across three semesters. Overall, we observed an increase in citation density, with more diverse citation forms and functions, as well as an expanding usage of reporting verbs and structures. Our results shed light on the developmental trajectory of citation practices and the persistent challenges for novice academic writers. Implications for English for Academic Purposes pedagogy are discussed.

Abstract

This small-scale intervention aimed to prepare students to express a particular academic writing feature (the research gap) through a structured intervention in corpus reading tasks. Four undergraduate (second year) students majoring in English education participated in a collaborative corpus-based analysis of selected published articles. They then drew on the corpus exemplars to develop their own gap statements. Data were collected from focus group interviews, students’ learning journals, and learning artifacts. There were two key findings. First, the students indicated that corpus-based analysis helped them become critical readers to recognize lexis used to show the research gap in the corpus-based database. Secondly, students learned from the collocation patterns in the corpus to express the research gap in their own contexts. The study has practical implications for language teaching demonstrating how corpus-based text-based language teaching can be a catalyst for students to become active and critical meaning makers.

Abstract

Shell nouns (SNs; e.g., fact and problem) are an open group of abstract nouns defined functionally through use as emergent ‘shells’ referencing and labeling ideas in surrounding discourse. This paper analyzes the ‘this/these + [SN]’ pattern in second language (L2) English Master’s theses and published English research articles (RAs) across three Engineering disciplines (Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical), with a secondary focus on unattended ‘this/these’ use and disciplinary variation. The corpus includes 60 RAs per discipline (840,683 words) and 25 Master’s theses per discipline (899,182 words). Corpus methods were used to support manual identification of ‘this/these + [SN]’. Results show that L2 English Master’s thesis writers used this pattern significantly less than writers of RAs. Normalized frequencies, frequent SNs, and functional patterns are also presented across genres and disciplines. L2 writers and experts use a similar range of SN types, and expert writers adopt a more rhetorically sophisticated means of organizing information.

Abstract

This paper presents a mixed-method study that integrates genre-based corpus analysis and discourse-based interviews to examine the form- and stance-related citation patterns in the research articles of ten first- and second-year engineering doctoral students. The corpus analysis reveals strong preferences for stance-marked citations and the proclaim and entertain devices in particular, suggesting that writers use authorial stance to endorse cited propositions or provide likelihood- or evidence-based judgments in citations. Interview results indicate a discordance between writers’ intentions and their stance-related linguistic choices, as well as varied perceptions of authorial stance. Despite the frequent use of stance markers in citations, most writers claimed to be neutral reporters of knowledge. Only a few acknowledged their strategic stance choices and demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the rhetorical roles citations play in their claim-making practices. The findings suggest that students with developing citation expertise lacked the academic and disciplinary expertise to understand the interplay among citations, authorial stance, and rhetorical move/step structures in their research writing. These writers could benefit from explicit feedback that raises their awareness of the strategic use of citations and stance, to facilitate the realization of rhetorical goals in research writing.

This article reviews Corpus linguistics for writing development: A guide for research$ 128.00$ 35.96$ 35.96