Cover not available

In:Advances in Corpus-based Research on Academic Writing: Effects of discipline, register, and writer expertise
Edited by Ute Römer-Barron, Viviana Cortes and Eric Friginal
[Studies in Corpus Linguistics 95] 2020
► pp. 115–134

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload Book EPUB
authorization required

Students’ use of lexical bundles

Exploring the discipline and writing experience interface

 | Georgia State University
 | Georgia State University
Published online: 20 February 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.95.05mbo
Abstract
This chapter presents the results of an investigation into the interaction between discipline and writing experience on lexical bundle (LB) production. The study compared the production of 4-word LBs by novice and expert writers in medical and non-medical fields. The findings indicated that a combination of both writing experience and field-specific knowledge led to an increased use of medical LBs. Field-specific knowledge and experience seemed to be a prerequisite for the production of medical LBs with interactions demonstrating that the use of lexical bundles increased with the combination of field-specific knowledge and experience. The chapter interprets these findings based on previous research of learners’ acquisition of LBs and discusses their implications for both research and pedagogy.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Lexical bundles
    • 2.2Lexical bundles in academic discourse
    • 2.3Students’ use of lexical bundles
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1Lexical bundles in medical research articles
    • 3.2Corpora
      • 3.2.1The MRA corpus (expert medical writing)
      • 3.2.2The MSRP corpus (medical student writing)
      • 3.2.3The OSP corpus (non-medical student writing)
      • 3.2.4The ORA corpus (non-medical expert corpus)
    • 3.3Data collection
      • 3.3.1Lexical bundle lists
      • 3.3.2Assessment of frequency of bundles
      • 3.3.3Statistical analysis
      • 3.3.4Analysis of bundle use in MSRPs
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Use of all bundles
    • 4.2Use of research-oriented bundles
    • 4.3Use of text-oriented bundles
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (37)
References
Ädel, Annelie & Erman, Britt. 2012. Recurrent word combinations in academic writing by native and non-native speakers of English: A lexical bundles approach. English for Specific Purposes 31(2): 81–92. < >Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Anthony, Laurence. 2005. AntConc: Design and development of a freeware corpus analysis toolkit for the technical writing classroom. In International Professional Communication Conference, 2005. IPCC, Limerick, Ireland 10–13 July, 2005, 729–737. Piscataway NJ: IEEE. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2017. AntConc (Version 3.5.2) [Computer Software]. Tokyo: Waseda University. <[URL]>
Biber, Douglas. 2006. Stance in spoken and written university registers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 5(2): 97–116. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Biber, Douglas & Barbieri, Federica. 2007. Lexical bundles in university spoken and written registers. English for Specific Purposes 26(3): 263–286. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Biber, Douglas, Conrad, Susan & Cortes, Viviana. 2004. If you look at …: Lexical bundles in university teaching and textbooks. Applied Linguistics 25(3): 371–405. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Biber, Douglas, Johansson, Stig, Leech, Goeffrey, Conrad, Susan & Finegan, Edward. 1999. The Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. London: Longman.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bychkovska, Tetyana & Lee, Joseph J. 2017. At the same time: Lexical bundles in L1 and L2 university student argumentative writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 30, 38–52. < >Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chen, Yu H. & Baker, Paul. 2010. Lexical bundles in L1 and L2 academic writing. Language Learning & Technology 14(2), 30–49.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cortes, Viviana. 2004. Lexical bundles in published and student disciplinary writing: Examples from history and biology. English for Specific Purposes 23(4): 397–423. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2006. Teaching lexical bundles in the disciplines: An example from a writing intensive history class. Linguistics and Education 17(4): 391–406. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2008. A comparative analysis of lexical bundles in academic history writing in English and Spanish. Corpora 3(1): 43–57. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2013. The purpose of this study is to: Connecting lexical bundles and moves in research article introductions. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 12(1): 33–43. < >Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cortes, Viviana & Csomay, Eniko. 2007. Positioning lexical bundles in university lectures. In Spoken Corpora in Applied Linguistics, Mari C. Campoy & Maria J. Luzon (eds), 57–76. Bern: Peter Lang.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Crossley, Scott A., Allen, Laura K., Kyle, Kristopher & McNamara, Danielle S. 2014. Analyzing discourse processing using a simple natural language processing tool (SiNLP). Discourse Processes 51(5–6): 511–534. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Erman, Britt & Warren, Beatrice. 2000. The idiom principle and the open choice principle. Text-Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Discourse 20(1): 29–62. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Grabowski, Lukasz. 2015. Keywords and lexical bundles within English pharmaceutical discourse: A corpus-driven description. English for Specific Purposes 38: 23–33. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gray, Bethany & Cortes, Viviana. 2010. Perception vs. evidence: An analysis of this and these in academic prose. English for Specific Purposes 30: 31–43. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hyland, Ken. 2008a. As can be seen: Lexical bundles and disciplinary variation. English for Specific Purposes 27(1): 4–21. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2008b. Academic clusters: Text patterning in published and postgraduate writing. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 18(1): 41–62. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2012. Bundles in academic discourse. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 32: 150–169. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hyland, Ken & Tse, Polly. 2007. Is there an “academic vocabulary”? TESOL Quarterly 41(2): 235–253. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Howarth, Peter. 1998. Phraseology and second language proficiency. Applied Linguistics 19(1): 24–44. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jones, Martha & Haywood, Sandra. 2004. Facilitating the acquisition of formulaic sequences. In Formulaic Sequences [Language Learning & Language Teaching 9], Norbert Schmitt (ed.), 269–300. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, Jie & Schmitt, Norbert. 2009. The acquisition of lexical phrases in academic writing: A longitudinal case study. Journal of Second Language Writing 18(2): 85–102. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lunney, Gerald H. 1970. Using analysis of variance with a dichotomous dependent variable: An empirical study. Journal of Educational Measurement 7(4): 263–269. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martinez, Ron & Schmitt, Norbert. 2012. A phrasal expressions list. Applied Linguistics 33(3): 299–320. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mbodj-Diop, Ndeye B. 2016. Lexical Bundles in Medical Research Articles: Structures and Functions. MA thesis, Michigan State University.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Neely, Elisabeth & Cortes, Viviana. 2009. A little bit about: Analyzing and teaching lexical bundles in academic lectures. Language Value 1(1): 17–38.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nesi, Hilary & Basturkmen, Helen. 2006. Lexical bundles and discourse signalling in academic lectures. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 11(3): 283–304. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
O’Donnell, Matthew B. & Römer, Ute. 2012. From student hard drive to web corpus (part 2): The annotation and online distribution of the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP). Corpora 7(1): 1–18. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
O’Donnell, Matthew B., Römer, Ute & Ellis, Nick C. 2013. The development of formulaic sequences in first and second language writing. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 18(1): 83–108. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Römer, Ute. 2009. English in academia: Does nativeness matter? International Journal of English Studies 2(September): 89–100.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Simpson-Vlach, Rita & Ellis, Nick C. 2010. An academic formulas list: New methods in phraseology research. Applied Linguistics 31(4): 487–512. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Staples, Shelley, Egbert, Jesse, Biber, Douglas & McClair, Alyson. 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. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wei, Yaoyu & Lei, Lei. 2011. Lexical bundles in the academic writing of advanced Chinese EFL learners. RELC journal 42(2): 155–166. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wray, Alyson & Perkins, Michael R. 2000. The functions of formulaic language: An integrated model. Language & Communication 20(1): 1–28. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue