Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Department of Foreign Languages, Naein Branch, Islamic Azad University, Naein, Iran.
Abstract
Research on native vs. non-native formulaic language use in academic texts, despite its wealth in scope and frequency, lacks an inclusive conceptualization of a non-native language learning context. Impressed by such a flawed approach, the bulk (if not all) of studies in the field compared the use of different multi-word strings in the academic discourse of either foreign or second language learners with a native baseline. The current study sought to address the gap, focusing on the structural and functional use of lexical bundles in two culturally parallel corpora developed in two non-native learning context modes: English as a foreign (EFL) and second (ESL) language. To this end, research reports written by Iranian Applied Linguistics MA and Ph.D. learners studying in different universities in Iran and English-speaking provinces of Canada were compared by a structurally similar native corpus, running cross-tabulation, Chi-square, and residual analysis analyses. The results revealed a significant association between language learning context and lexical bundle use on a functional level. The contextual variations yielded significantly different patterns of use concerning several micro-functions underlying text-oriented and research-oriented functions. Compared to functional differences, the between-corpus structural differences were inconspicuous, specifically concerning micro-structures constituting noun, prepositional, and verb phrase-related bundles. The study embraced the notion that EFL writers need to have immense exposure and enhanced language input available in ESL and native learning contexts to foster a native-like formulaic language.
Keywords
Main Subjects
Agresti, A. (2007). An introduction to categorical data analysis. Wiley.
Allen, D. (2010). Lexical bundles in learner writing: An analysis of formulaic language in the ALESS learner corpus. Komaba Journal of English Education, 1, 105–127.
Azadnia, M. (2021). A corpus-based analysis of lexical richness in EAP texts written by Iranian TEFL students. Teaching English as a Second Language Quarterly, 40(4), 61-90.
Amirian, Z., Ketabi, S., & Eshaghi, H. (2013). The use of lexical bundles in native and non-native postgraduate writing: The case of applied linguistics MA theses. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 5(11), 1–29.
Bao, K., & Liu, M. (2022). A corpus study of lexical bundles used differently in dissertations abstracts produced by Chinese and American PhD students of linguistics. Frontier in Psychology, 13, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.893773
Biber, D. (2009). A corpus-driven approach to formulaic language in English: Multi-word patterns in speech and writing. International journal of corpus linguistics, 14(3), 275–311. https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.14.3.08bib
Biber, D., & Barbieri, F. (2007). Lexical bundles in university spoken and written registers. English for Specific Purposes, 26(3), 263–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2006.08.003
Biber, D., & Conrad, S. (1999). Lexical bundles in conversation and academic prose. In H. Hasselgard, & S. Oksefjell, (Eds.), Out of corpora: Studies in honor of Stig Johansson, (pp.181–189). Rodopi.
Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English. Pearson.
Biber, D., Conrad, S., & Cortes, V. (2004). If you look at: Lexical bundles in university teaching and textbooks. Applied Linguistics, 25(3), 371–405. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/25.3.371
Biber, D. (2006). Stance in spoken and written university registers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5(2), 97–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2006.05.001
Bhatia, V. K. (2014). Worlds of written discourse: A genre-based view. Bloomsbury Publication.
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles. Longman
Chen, Y. H., & Baker, P. (2010). Lexical bundles in L1 and L2 academic writing. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2), 30–49.
Chen, Y. H., & Baker, P. (2016). Investigating criterial discourse features across second language development: Lexical bundles in rated learner essays. Applied Linguistics, 37(6), 849–880. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amu065
Cortes, V. (2002). Lexical bundles in academic writing in history and biology (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Northern Arizona University.
Cortes, V. (2004). Lexical bundles in published and student disciplinary writing: Examples from history and biology. English for Specific Purposes, 23(4), 397–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2003.12.001
Conrad, S., & Biber, D. (2005). The frequency and use of lexical bundles in conversation and academic prose. Lexicographica, 20, 56–71. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783484604674.56
Dontcheva-Navratilova, O. (2012). Lexical bundles in academic texts by non-native speaker Brno Studies in English, 38(2), 37–58. https://doi.org/10.5817/BSE2012-2-3
Ellis, N. C. & Simpson-Vlach, R. (2009). Formulaic language in native speakers: Triangulating psycholinguistics, corpus linguistics, and education. Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory, 5(1), 61–78. https://doi.org/10.1515/CLLT.2009.003
Ellis, N. C., Simpson-Vlach, R., & Maynard, C. (2008). Formulaic language in native and second language speakers: Psycholinguistics, corpus linguistics and TESOL. Tesol Quarterly, 42 (3), 375–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2008.tb00137.x
Gao X. (2017). A comparable-corpus-based study on native English and Chinese academic writers’ use of English lexical bundles. For. Lang. Their Teach. 3, 42–52. https://doi.org/10.1515/CJAL-2019-0029
Gholaminejad, R. (2021). A Comparison of two genres: lexical bundles in the discourse of applied linguistics. Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies, 43(2), 90–109. http://doi.org/10.28914/Atlantis-2021-43.2.05
Ghorbani, A., Okati, F., & Lotfi Gaskaree, B. (2022). Lexical bundles in the conclusion section of applied linguistics articles: a comparative study of international and Iranian journals. Journal of Critical Applied Linguistics Studies, 1(1), 67–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.22034/jcals.1.1.67
Gil, N. N., & Caro, E. M. (2019). Lexical bundles in learner and expert academic writing. Bellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature, 12(1), 65–90. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/jtl3.794
Glicksohn, A., & Cohen, A. (2013). The role of cross-modal associations in statistical learning. Psychon. Bull. Rev., 20(6), 1161–1169. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-013-0458-4
Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2013). Statistics for the behavioral science (9th ed.). Wadsworth.
Güngör, F. & Uysal, H. H. (2016). A comparative analysis of lexical bundles used by native and non-native scholars. English Language Teaching, 9(6), 176–188. https://doi.org/10.5539/ELT.V9N6P176
Håkansson, G., & Norrby, C. (2010). Environmental influence on language acquisition: comparing second and foreign language acquisition of Swedish. Language Learning, 60, 628–650. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2010.00569.x
Huang K. (2018). Register features of lexical bundles used by Chinese EFL majors: a contrastive analysis of spoken and written English. For. Lang. World, 5, 71–79.
Hyland, K. (2008a). As can be seen: lexical bundles and disciplinary variation. Eng. Specific Purposes, 27, 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2007.06.001
Hyland, K. (2008b). Academic clusters: Text patterning in published and postgraduate writing. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 18, 41–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1473 4192.2008.00178.x
Hyland, K. (2012). Bundles in academic discourse. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 32, 150-169. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190512000037
Hyland, K. & Jiang, F. (2018). Academic lexical bundles. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 23(4), 383–407. https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.17080.hy
Jalali, H. (2009). Lexical bundles in applied linguistics: variations within a single discipline (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Isfahan.
Jalali, H. (2013). Lexical bundles in applied linguistics: Variations across postgraduate genres. Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, 2(2), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.22034/EFL.2013.79199
Jeong H., & Jiang N. (2019). Representation and processing of lexical bundles: Evidence from word monitoring. System, 80, 188–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.11.009
Karabacak, E., & Qin, J. (2013). Comparison of lexical bundles used by Turkish, Chinese, and American university students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70(0), 622–628. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.101
Kashiha, H., & Chan, S. H. (2014). Cross-linguistic and cross-disciplinary investigation of lexical bundles in academic writing. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 22(4), 937–951.
Kazemi, M., Katiraei, A., & Rasekh, E. (2014) the impact of teaching lexical bundles on improving Iranian EFL students’ writing skills. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 864–869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.493
Krashen, S. D. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. Longman.
Li, L., Franken, M., & Wu, S. (2018). Chinese postgraduates’ explanation of the sources of sentence initial bundles in their thesis writing. RELC Journal, 50, 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688217750641
Liu, C., & Chen, H. H. (2020). Analyzing the functions of lexical bundles in undergraduate academic lectures for pedagogical use. English for Specific Purposes, 58, 122–137. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2019.12.003
Lu, X., & Deng, J. (2019). With the rapid development: a contrastive analysis of lexical bundles in dissertation abstracts by Chinese and L1 English doctoral students. Journal of English Academic Purposes, 39, 21–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2019.03.008
Marchman, V. A., & Bates, E. (1994). Continuity in lexical and morphological development: a test of the critical mass hypothesis. Journal of Child Language, 21, 339–366. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000900009302
Meunier, F., & Granger, S. (2008). Phraseology in foreign language learning and teaching. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/z.138
Mitchel, A. D., Christiansen, M. H., & Weiss, D. J. (2014). Multimodal integration in statistical learning: Evidence from the McGurk illusion. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00407
Northbrook, J., & Conklin. K. (2019). Is what you put in what you get out? Textbook-derived lexical bundle processing. Applied Linguistics, 40(5), 816–833. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amy027
Northbrook, J., Allen, D., & Conklin, K. (2021). Did you see that? The role of repetition and enhancement on lexical bundle processing in English learning materials. Applied Linguistics, 1–20. http://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amab063
Ortega, L. (2014). Experience and success in late bilingualism. Paper presented in Keynote address at the 17th AILA world congress, Brisbane, Australia.
Pang, W. (2010). Lexical bundles and the construction of an academic voice: A pedagogical perspective. Asian EFL Journal, 47(1), 10–11.
Qin, J. (2014). Use of formulaic bundles by non-native English graduate writers and published authors in applied linguistics. System, 42(1), 220–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.12.003
Rashtchi, M., & Ali Mohammadi, M. (2017). Teaching lexical bundles to improve academic writing via tasks: Does the type of input matter? Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 14(2), 201–219.
Schmitt, N., Dörnyei, Z., Adolphs, S., & Durow, V. (2004). Knowledge and acquisition of formulaic sequences. In N. Schmitt (Ed.), Formulaic sequences: Acquisition, processing and use (pp. 55–86). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.9.05sch
Shahmoradi, N., Jalali, H., & Ghadiri, M. (2021). Lexical bundles in the abstract and conclusion sections: the case of applied linguistics and information technology. Applied Research on English Language, 10(3), 47–76. https://doi.org/10.22108/ARE.2021.128024.1703
Shirazizadeh, M., & Amirfazlian, R. (2021). Lexical bundles in theses, articles and textbooks of applied linguistics: investigating intradisciplinary uniformity and variation. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 49, 100–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100946
Simpson-Vlach, R. & Ellis, N. C. (2010). An academic formulas list (AFL). Applied Linguistics, 31, 487–512.
Staples, S., Egbert, J., Biber, D., & McClair, A. (2013). Formulaic sequences and EAP writing development: Lexical bundles in the TOEFL iBT writing section. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 12(3), 214-225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.05.002
Swales, J. M. (2008). Foreword. In D. Belcher & A. Hirvela (Eds.), The oral-literate connection: Perspectives on L2 speaking, writing, and other media interactions (p. v-viii). Universityof Michigan Press.
Vercellotti, M. L. (2015). The development of complexity, accuracy, and fluency in second language performance: a longitudinal study. Applied Linguistics, 38, 90–111. http://doi.org/ 10.1093/applin/amv002
Vold, E. T. (2022). Learner spoken output and teacher response in second versus foreign language classrooms. Language Teaching Research, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211068610
Wei, Y., & Lei, L. (2011). Lexical bundles in the academic writing of advanced Chinese EFL learners. RELC Journal, 42(2), 155–166. http://doi.org/10.1177/0033688211407295
Wood, D. (2015). Fundamentals of formulaic language: An introduction. Bloomsbury.
Wray, A. (2002). Formulaic language and the lexicon. Cambridge University Press.
Yakut, I., Yuvayapan, F., & Bada, E. (2021). Lexical bundles in L1 and L2 English doctoral dissertations. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 9(3), 475–493. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP2103475Y
Zhang, S., & Kang, C. (2022). A comparative study on lexical and syntactic features of ESL versus EFL learners’ writing, Frontier in Psychology, 13, 1–11. http://doi.org/ 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1002090
Zhou, J., & Lü, C. (2022). Enhancing syntactic complexity in L2 Chinese writing: effects of form-focused instruction on the Chinese topic chain. Frontier in Psychology, 13, 789–843. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.843789
', './data/jtls/coversheet/cover_en.jpg'))