The nonuse of the definite article the in referencing definite nouns in research writing: An empirical study using both corpus and survey data and its implications

Abstract

Using both corpus and survey data, this study examines a hitherto uninvestigated issue: the use of the null article (i.e., the nonuse of the definite article the in referencing definite/specific nouns) in academic research writing. Specifically, the study consisted of three parts: a small corpus analysis of research articles (RAs) written by well published L1 English scholars in applied linguistics, a survey of members of the academic community, and a large corpus analysis of RA abstracts. Results of the study indicate that null article use is fairly common in RAs, but the number of nouns used with the null article is very limited, restricted to only three small groups of nouns commonly found in empirical studies involving human subjects. Furthermore, null article use is confined almost exclusively to the abstract, methodology, and results/discussion sections. Also, null article use is quite well accepted by members of the academic community across all ranks, ranging from well-published professors to instructors and graduate students. However, there are variations in null article use across-/within writers and across academic disciplinary divisions. Pedagogical and research implications are also discussed.