A corpus-based comparison of EFL, ESL, and ENS lexical bundles in the ICNALE corpus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17509/xq43nf49Keywords:
corpus linguistics, education, EFL, ESL, lexical bundleAbstract
The importance of lexical bundles (LBs) to shape academic writing has been extensively studied. However, few studies have investigated learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and Second Language (ESL) with Native Speakers (ENS) under the same protocol. To address this gap, we investigated ICNALE’s (International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English) data set, aiming to examine three subsets. Building on Biber et al.’s and Hyland’s LB seminal works, we examined their frequency, structure, and function. The findings show a strong positive relationship between LB use and students’ proficiency levels. In the ENS subset, the use of LBs is relatively more varied and frequent. Across the three subsets, we also discovered that prepositional phrases and text-oriented LBs were most common. This shows the roles of these LBs in managing discourse and preserving coherence. This also indicates that the LB profile may be a descriptor to reflect on a learner’s status. It calls for the integration of explicit LB instruction in the teaching of writing in Asian EFL and ESL settings. The results can be used to support curriculum design (LB-related tasks in academic writing syllabi) and materials development (creating high-frequency LB-based glossaries or phrase banks), among others. These applications can help students write more effectively and cohesively and give direction to ongoing or future corpus-based studies.
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