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The Development of Phraseological Complexity in Academic Writing : A Comparative Analysis of Native Speakers and Chinese ESL Learners

Gong, Shuxiang
(2023)

Files

ShuxiangGong_02572100_2023.pdf
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  • 1.58 MB

Details

Supervisors
Paquot, Magali
Faculty
Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres
Degree label
Master [120] en linguistique, à finalité spécialisée: Linguistics and its Applications for a Multilingual Society
Abstract
This study delves into the realm of linguistic complexity, a foundational construct in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research, renowned for its efficacy in assessing proficiency. While traditional measures of linguistic complexity emphasise syntactic and lexical aspects, there's a growing consensus, underscored by Paquot (2019), that word combinations - an oft-overlooked dimension - play a pivotal role in understanding proficiency nuances. Through this investigation, the paper integrates phraseological complexity, with a focus on its two operational dimensions: diversity and sophistication. The core intent of the study is to dissect the development of phraseological complexity in academic writing by UK native speakers and Chinese ESL learners during their undergraduate studies. Leveraging the British Academic Written English Corpus (BAWE), this inquiry replicates the methodological approach of Paquot (2019), spotlighting PMI-based phraseological sophistication across three grammatically related word combinations: adjectival modifiers, adverbial modifiers, and direct objects. Concurrently, the lexical complexity facet is explored using the Lexical Complexity Analyzer (LCA).