Korean lexical bundles in conversation and academic texts

Abstract

Over the past few decades, there has been growing interest in phraseology and the extent to which natural language use consists of prefabricated linguistic chunks ( Biber et al., 2004 ; Ellis, 1996 ; Howarth, 1998 ; Moon, 1997 ; and Wray, 2002 ). One approach to this issue has involved the analytical construct of ‘lexical bundles’, which are defined simply as the most common recurrent sequences of words in a register. This study explores the use of multi-word sequences in Korean based on Biber et al.'s (1999) frequency-driven approach to the identification of lexical bundles. Building on previous lexical bundle studies in English and Spanish ( Biber et al., 2004 ; Cortes, 2004 ; and Tracy-Ventura et al., 2007 ), the study examines lexical bundles in a large corpus of Korean texts consisting of academic prose and conversation. The analysis focusses on three major characteristics: the overall distribution of bundles, their typical structures, and their typical functions in discourse. More lexical bundles were identified in academic prose than in conversation. The findings support the notion that lexical bundles should be regarded as a basic linguistic construct with important functions for the construction of discourse for different languages.