A Multi-Dimensional Analysis of English Writings by Chinese EFL Learners
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1401.05Keywords:
multi-dimensional analysis, Chinese EEL learners, native English speakers, English writingAbstract
The exponential growth in the population of Chinese EFL learners has fueled the study of Chinese EFL learner writing. A survey of relevant literature indicates that the majority of studies are confined to the exploration of individual linguistic features, with a few exceptions which employ a broader perspective that might involve multiple features. This work aims to investigate the English writings by Chinese EFL learners via Multi-Dimensional (MD) analysis, a corpus-based approach that combines both microscopic (i.e., individual linguistic features) and macroscopic perspectives (i.e., textual dimensions). A comparison between writings by Chinese EFL learners and native English speakers shows that the former are high on involvement, informativeness, and referential explicitness while the latter exhibit superiority on word-choosing, information integration, narrativity, and persuasiveness. Regarding their specific use of 67 MD linguistic features, the two writer groups also show certain significant but interesting differences. Analysis of Chinese EFL learner corpora from different English education levels indicates that writings by learners from higher levels are lower on involvement, but are higher on informativeness, narrativity, referential explicitness, and persuasiveness. This trend is manifested by their decreasing use of involvement features, but increasing use of features marking the latter four aspects.
References
Ai, H., & Lu, X. (2013). A corpus-based comparison of syntactic complexity in NNS and NS university students’ writing. Automatic treatment and analysis of learner corpus data, 249-264.
Alhusban, H. A., & Vijayakumar, C. (2021). Lexical Bundles in Saudi EFL Student Writing: A Study of Learner Corpus. TESOL International Journal, 16(4). 2, 7-31.
Biber, D. (1988). Variation across speech and writing. Cambridge University Press.
Biber, D. (1995). Dimensions of Register Variation: A Cross-Linguistic Comparison. Cambridge University Press.
Biber, D., Conrad, S., & Reppen, R. (1998). Corpus Linguistics: Investigating Language, Structure and Use. Cambridge University Press.
Biber, D., Conrad, S., Reppen, R., Byrd, P., & Helt, M. (2002). Speaking and writing in the university: A multidimensional comparison. TESOL quarterly, 36(1), 9-48.
Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., Finegan, E., & Quirk, R. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English (Vol. 2). Longman.
Bychkovska, T., & Lee, J. 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.
Cao Y., & Xiao, R. (2013). A Multi-Dimensional Contrastive Study of English Abstracts by Native and Non-native Writers. Corpora, 8(2), 209 - 234.
Chen, M. (2013). Overuse or underuse: A corpus study of English phrasal verb use by Chinese, British and American university students. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 18(3), 418-442.
Chen, W. (2019). Profiling collocations in EFL writing of Chinese tertiary learners. RELC Journal, 50(1), 53-70.
Chou, M. C., &Wu, K. H. (2007). The Temporal System of Interlanguage of College EFL Learners in Taiwan. Hwa Kang Journal of English Language & Literature, 13, 29 – 57.
Darus, S., & Subramaniam K. (2009). Error analysis of written English essays of secondary school students in Malaysia: A case study. European Journal of Social Sciences, 8, 483-495.
Dutra, P. B. (2014). Multi-Dimensional analysis of pop songs. In T. B. Sardinha & M. V. Pinto (Eds.), Multi-Dimensional Analysis, 25 Years on: A Tribute to Douglas Biber (Studies in Corpus Linguistics (SCL) 60) (pp. 149 – 175). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Fang, X. C. (2014). A corpus-based study on lexical and grammatical features in Chinese EFL learners’ use of verbal “Non-finite Clauses”. [Unpublished PhD dissertation]. Shanghai International Studies University.
Friginal, E., & Hardy, J. A. (2014). Conducting multi-dimensional analysis using SPSS. In T. B. Sardinha, & M. V. Pinto (Eds.), Multi-Dimensional Analysis, 25 Years on: A Tribute to Douglas Biber (Studies in Corpus Linguistics (SCL) 60) (pp. 297–316). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Gilquin, G. & Paquot, M. (2008): Too chatty: Learner academic writing and register variation. English Text Construction, 1.1, 41-61.
Gilquin, G., & Granger, S. (2011). From EFL to ESL: Evidence from the International Corpus of Learner English. In J. Mukherjee (Ed.), Exploring Second-Language Varieties of English and Learner Englishes: Bridging a Paradigm Gap (pp. 55-78). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Gu, T. (2014). A corpus-based study on the performance of the suggestion speech act by Chinese EFL learners. International Journal of English Linguistics, 4(1), 103-111.
Hyland, K. (2001). Humble servants of the discipline? Self-mention in research articles. English for specific purposes, 20(3), 207-226.
Hyland, K. (2002a). Authority and invisibility: Authorial identity in academic writing. Journal of pragmatics, 34(8), 1091-1112.
Hyland, K. (2002b). Options of identity in academic writing. ELT journal, 56(4), 351-358.
Hyland, K. (2016). Teaching and Researching Writing (3rd ed). Routledge.
Ishikawa, S. (2013). The ICNALE and sophisticated contrastive interlanguage analysis of Asian learners of English. Learner corpus studies in Asia and the world, 1, 91-118.
Ji, J., & Liang, M.C. (2015). Xue xi zhe ying yu yi lun wen zhong zhu yu sheng ming du yan jiu [ Subject Animacy in Chinese EFL Learner's Argumentative Writing]. Wai yu dian hua jiao xue, 2, 52-58.
Liang, M. C. (2008). zhong guo da xue sheng ying yu bi yu zhong de qing tai xu lie yanjiu [A corpus-based study of modal sequences in Chinese tertiary EFL learners’ written production]. wai yu jiao xue yu yan jiu, 40(1), 51-58.
Liu, J. (2012). CLEC-based study of tense errors in Chinese EFL learners' writings. World Journal of English Language, 2(4), 11-23.
Liu, Y., & Lu, X. (2020). Chinese EFL learners’ misconceptions of noun countability and article use. System, 90(10222), 1-12.
Ma, G. H. (2002). Zhong mei da xue sheng ying yu zuo wen yu yan te zheng fen xi [Contrastive analysis of linguistic features between EFL and ENL essays]. wai yu jiao xue yu yan jiu, 34(5), 345-349.
Nini, A. (2014). Multidimensional Analysis Tagger 1.2 - Manual. Retrieved May 4 from http://sites.google.com/site/multidimensionaltagger.
Nini, A. (2019). Multidimensional Analysis Tagger. In T. B. Sardinha & M. V. Pinto (Eds.). Multidimensional Analysis: Research Methods and Current Issues (pp. 67-93). Bloomsbury Academic.
O’Dowd, E. (1998). Prepositions and particles in English: A discourse-functional account. Oxford University Press.
Ong, J. (2011). Investigating the Use of Cohesive Devices by Chinese EFL Learners. The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, 13(3), 42-65.
Pan, F. (2012). Zhong guo fei ying yu zhuan ye ben ke sheng he yan jiu sheng shu mian yu ti de duo te zheng duo wei du diao cha [MF and MD Analysis of Written Texts Produced by Chinese non- English Major Undergraduates and Graduates]. Wai yu jiao xue yu yan jiu (bimonthly), 44(2), 220-232.
Sardinha, T. B. (2014). 25 years latter: Comparing Internet and pre-Internet registers. In T. B. Sardinha & M. V. Pinto (Eds.), Multi-Dimensional Analysis, 25 Years on: A Tribute to Douglas Biber (Studies in Corpus Linguistics (SCL) 60) (pp. 3– 33). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Sardinha, T. B., Kauffmann, C., & Acunzo, C. M. (2014). A multi-dimensional analysis of register variation in Brazilian Portuguese. Corpora, 9(2), 239-271.
Tse, Y. K. (2010). Parataxis and hypotaxis in the Chinese language. International Journal of Arts and Sciences, 3, 351–359
Van Rooy, B. (2008). A multidimensional analysis of student writing in Black South African English. English World-Wide, 29(3), 268-305.
Wen, Q. F., Ding, Y. R., & Wang, W. (2003). Zhong guo da xue sheng ying yu shu mian yu zhong de kou yu hua qing xiang: gao shui ping ying yu xue xi zhe yu liao dui bi fen xi [Features of oral style in English compositions of advanced Chinese EFL learners: An exploratory study by contrastive learner corpus analysis]. Wai yu jiao xue yu yan jiu, 4, 268-274.
Wen, Q. F, Wang, L. F., & Liang, M. C. (2005). Spoken and written English corpus of Chinese learners. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Xu, J. J. (2016). Zhong guo xue sheng wan pian ying yu zuo wen yu liao ku jie shao [An Introduction to Ten-thousand English Compositions of Chinese Learners (The TECCL corpus)], yu liao ku yu yan xue, 3(2), 108-112.
Xu, Y. T., & Liu, Y. H. (2012). The Use of Adverbial Conjuncts of Chinese EFL Learners and Native Speakers–Corpus-based Study. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(11), 2316-2321.
Xue, X. Z. (2015). Ten-thousand English Compositions of Chinese Learners (The TECCL corpus), Version 1.1. The National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Yang, L., Ma, A. P., & Cao, Y. (2013). Lexical negative transfer analysis and pedagogic suggestions of native language in Chinese EFL writing. The proceedings of the 2013 Conference on Education Technology and Management Science (ICETMS 2013) (pp.669 – 672). Atlantis Press.
Yang, W. X., & Sun, Y. (2012). The Use of Cohesive Devices in Argumentative Writing by Chinese EFL Learners at Different Proficiency Levels. Linguistics and Education, 23. 31-48.
Zhang, H. P. (2013). A Corpus-Based Study of Conceptual Transfer in Chinese Learners’ English. [Unpublished PhD dissertation]. Northeast Normal University.
Zheng, Q. (2010). Modality and Generic Features in Chinese EFL Writings. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 33(5), 40-51.
Zhang, Z. S. (2012). A corpus study of variation in written Chinese. Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory, 8(1), 209-240.