Abstract
This paper reports a cross-sectional study that investigates the developmental features in second language writings by Chinese beginner learners of English by using four lexical richness measures—lexical sophistication, lexical variation, lexical density, and lexical errors—from the perspective of the language exposure hypothesis. Specifically, the study compares English compositions written by Chinese students of grade 7, grade 8, and grade 9 in terms of lexical sophistication, lexical variation, lexical density, and lexical errors. The English compositions were sampled from the Writing Corpus of Chinese Beginner Learners of English, and the sample size of the three grades remained almost the same. The analysis revealed that lexical richness in the writing samples of beginner learners is comparatively low, with beginner learners transferring lexical features of the oral register to their second language writings; furthermore, all four measures yielded significant, albeit non-linear and unevenly paced, developments across grade levels. Based on the findings, several suggestions for vocabulary teaching are provided.
Highlights
Lexical richness as a multidimensional construct in second language (L2) learning (Schmitt, 2014) has been recognized as an integral component for the construction of written products (Engber, 1995; González, 2017)
Based on cross-sectional comparisons between writing samples from grades 7–9, the following subsections present the developmental features of lexical sophistication, lexical variation, lexical density, and lexical errors separately
The first research question investigated the developmental features of lexical sophistication in English writings by Chinese beginner learners
Summary
Lexical richness as a multidimensional construct in second language (L2) learning (Schmitt, 2014) has been recognized as an integral component for the construction of written products (Engber, 1995; González, 2017). Well-written texts are involved in writer’s purposeful selection and use of lexis. A sophisticated, diverse, and accurate lexical contribution to texts enhances writing quality and mirrors the learner’s writing proficiency (e.g., Laufer and Nation, 1995; Read, 2000; Qin and Wen, 2007). Lexical richness is a crucial aspect in L2 writing research. Previous studies of lexical richness in L2 writings can be divided into three categories.
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