Article published In: International Journal of Corpus Linguistics
Vol. 23:4 (2018) ► pp.383–407
Academic lexical bundles
How are they changing?
Published online: 27 December 2018
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.17080.hyl
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.17080.hyl
Abstract
An important component of fluent linguistic production and a key distinguishing feature of particular modes,
registers and genres is the multi-word expressions referred to as ‘lexical bundles’. These are extended collocations which appear
more frequently than expected by chance, helping to shape meanings and contributing to our sense of coherence and distinctiveness
in a text. These strings have been studied extensively, particularly in academic writing in English, but little is known about how
they may have changed over time. In this paper we explore changes in their use and frequency over the past 50 years, drawing on a
corpus of 2.2 million words taken from top research journals in four disciplines. We find that bundles are not static and
invariant markers of research writing but change in response to new conditions and contexts, with the most interesting changes
within disciplines. The paper also discusses methodological approaches to studying bundles diachronically.
Keywords: lexical bundles, academic writing, diachronic change
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Lexical bundles and academic writing
- 3.Corpus and methodology
- 4.Changing bundle use: A quantitative overview
- 5.Structural changes in lexical bundles
- 6.Changes in functions of lexical bundles
- 7.Conclusion
- Note
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