Abstract
AbstractThis study aims to explore how verb frames can potentially influence text difficulty and shed new light on text evaluation. Different from previous works focusing mostly on lexical frequencies, this paper explores semantic categories of verbs and their correlation with the difficulty levels (DLs) of textbooks. Based on a corpus of nine sets of primary school Chinese textbooks, verb‐frame diversity and distribution trends by difficulty levels were examined. The results show that the diversity of verb frames has a strong positive correlation with difficulty levels. The distribution trends of the frames largely correspond with the three cognitive tiers proposed in the skill theory for language development: the sensory–motor, representational, and abstract tiers. This study introduces verb frames as a salient semantic factor in text analysis and proposes that verb‐frame‐related features have the potential to be utilized in the evaluation of leveled instructional materials and readability assessment.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.