Applied Linguistics Research Articles Research Articles

The Argument of the Matrix Verb Seems in Spec T: The Raised DP or the Given DP

Generative linguists claim that the argument of the matrix verb as in Mary seemed to be innocent is the DP (determine phrase), which is the raised argument of the to-infinitive clause being raised to be landed in the Spec T. However, the current study argues that the DP argument as the subject of the matrix verb seems to be the given DP and this is supported by functional linguistics. The argument in this study is statistically supported by the empirical evidence of international applied linguistic research articles. The data collection was English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which were indexed in the Q1 SCOPUS database. A total number of approximately 250,000 words was derived from 25 applied linguistics research articles, which contained 47 tokens concerning the argument with the matrix verb seem. The data analysis was divided into the framework of syntactic analysis and the quantitative study of inferential statistical analysis. The framework of syntactic analysis follows functional linguistics called the pragmatic discourse of givenness. The statistical analysis in this study was Pearson Correlation in SPSS29. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the given DP of the matrix verb seem and applied linguistic research articles. The p-value was reported at 0.044. Thus, the hypothesis in this study was accepted. The discussion follows the principle of cohesion and fixed colligations. It is recommended that the hypothesis in this study be tested by other English materials, such as novels and business documents, to contribute to the field.

A Quantitative Study on Noun Clauses in Applied Linguistics Research Articles between Q1 SCOPUS and TCI 1 Databases

A Quantitative Study on Noun Clauses in Applied Linguistics Research Articles between Q1 SCOPUS and TCI 1 Databases

Specificity and generality of lexical bundles in the rhetorical moves of Applied Linguistics research article introductions

Investigating the linguistic realizations of rhetorical moves through lexical bundles is a research area that has recently gained momentum. However, the lack of a fully annotated corpus has impeded the full understanding of the relationship between formulaic sequences and their corresponding moves. Accordingly, this study addressed this lacuna by annotating 1000 Applied Linguistics research article (RA) introductions using a framework developed for the current study to identify bundles characterizing communicative moves that configure introductions. Following a manual move identification of RA introductions, lexical bundles were extracted using AntConc and manually refined. This was followed by systematic identification of their functions in their co-text. Results indicated that some lexical bundles (i.e., move-general) occur in several moves or steps, whereas other bundles (i.e., move-specific) perform distinct discursive functions within each move. In other words, the development of rhetorical moves and bundles within each move is intricately interwoven and collaboratively contributes to developing ideas in the analyzed section. Furthermore, the functional analyses indicated that text-oriented bundles emerged as a strong indicator of the communicative moves of RA introductions, which performed distinct functions within each move. Drawing on key pedagogical insights, findings can serve as an instructional framework for instructors, students, and novice writers.

Stance expressions in applied linguistics research articles: A corpus-based contrastive study

Stance, a crucial aspect of academic writing, is complex and vital for both beginner and advanced writers. However, L2 English learners and experienced writers frequently struggle with using stance markers effectively. Currently, there remains a scarcity of research comparing the utilisation of stance markers in applied linguistics research articles between native English professional writers and L1 Indonesian speakers. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating similarities and differences in the deployment of stance markers in applied linguistics research articles by authors with L1 Indonesian and L1 English backgrounds and discussing the educational implications derived from the analysis results. The analysis involves two corpora: the Indonesian academic corpus (IAC), comprising articles authored by L1 Indonesians, and the English academic corpus (EAC), consisting of articles by native English speakers. The study investigates various types of stance markers and their distribution across the corpora, revealing significant differences in their usage. L2 English authors employ more boosters and attitude markers, while L1 English writers use more hedges and self-mentions, with the most notable disparities observed in the usage of self-references. These findings underscore the necessity for educators, particularly within the Indonesian context, to sensitise learners to the discursive norms surrounding the use of stance markers in applied linguistics research articles and provide targeted instruction to enhance English learners’ proficiency in employing stance markers effectively.

Collaboration network of applied linguistics research articles with different methodological orientations

The current study draws on synthetic techniques and bibliometric analysis to explore the patterns of scientific collaboration in light of methodological orientations. We examined 3,992 applied linguistics (AL) articles published in 18 top-tier journals from 2009 to 2018 and analyzed their methodological orientations and scientific collaboration. Considering that the number of co-authored papers outweighs single-authored counterparts, our results revealed that the overall degree of collaboration for AL journals was moderate-to-high (57.7%). In particular, quantitative studies contained the highest degree of collaboration (66.8%). This was followed by systematic reviews (60.9%), and mixed-methods approach (55.7%). Country-wise, our overall findings further indicated that the United States and the United Kingdom were the two main hubs of collaborative activities for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research. While the USA was the top country in systematic reviews like all other research approaches, the UK was the fifth country in systematic reviews. As for collaborating authors, our findings demonstrated that the most influential quantitative researchers had collaborated on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and data mining. While the mixed-methods researchers had a tendency to collaborate on conceptual issues subscribing to the language testing and assessment strand, the most productive qualitative researchers had collaborated on L2 writing issues. Implications for applied linguistics research are further discussed.

Text construction through patterns of signalling nouns: Evidence from the Discussion-Conclusion section of applied linguistics research articles

There has been a great interest in abstract nouns such as concept, problem, result from different research approaches. These nouns, labelled here as ‘signalling nouns’, have been extensively investigated in numerous studies focussing on a range of aspects. Differences in terms of their patterns and uses have been explored between genres, disciplines, and languages, yet little is known about possible variation on the level of rhetorical move. The present study examines the distribution of signalling nouns and their semantic, lexico-grammatical and discourse features across the moves in the Discussion-Conclusion section of 124 applied linguistics research articles. The examination of signalling nouns from such a micro level of move allows for deeper insights into rhetorical factors governing their differing preferences for particular patterns and the performance of each pattern associated with a particular noun. This detailed account also highlights how a text is constructed cohesively through the co-occurrence of moves. Findings from the present study have important implications for academic writing instruction.

The rhetorical organization of discussions sections of qualitative research articles in Applied Linguistics and the use of meta-discourse markers

This study examined the rhetorical organization and the distribution of meta-discourse markers in a corpus of 20 qualitative research articles in the Applied Linguistics field. The findings of the study indicated that the seven-move structure proposed by prior research in quantitative datasets is also true in our qualitative dataset. Concerning steps, however, this study indicated that there are two new steps in the Comment on the Results move and also two new steps in the Deduction from the Research move, compared with the quantitative data of prior research. It was also found that both the distribution and frequency of meta-discourse markers indicate significant differences in comparison with quantitative research articles. Given these findings, we can say that although the schematic structure proposed for the Discussion sections of quantitative research articles is applicable to the qualitative corpus, it is also important not to ignore subtle nuances in the two research paradigms. Drawing academic writers' attention to these rhetorical and linguistic nuances arising from research paradigm differences can carry practical pedagogical implications. The findings of this study can raise novice writers’ awareness with respect to academic writing rhetoric and the functions of meta-discourse markers in qualitative research in Applied Linguistics.

“This study is not without its limitations”: Acknowledging limitations and recommending future research in applied linguistics research articles

Acknowledging limitations and making recommendations for future research are often presented in thesis handbooks and rubrics as obligatory moves that demonstrate an author's critical self-evaluation and authority. Published research articles (RAs), however, reflect nuanced variation that challenges this interpretation. Based on two specialized corpora of 100 quantitative and 100 qualitative RAs from four applied linguistics journals, this mixed methods study combines genre analysis, which highlighted the relative prominence of these moves across methodological approaches and journals, and p-frame analysis, which generated a list of linguistic frames with one or more variable slots (e.g., it is important to * (note/mention/realize)) that emphasize flexibility within formulaic language structures. The results indicate that both moves are quasi-obligatory but vary considerably across methodologies and journals. EAP instructors might use genre analysis to evaluate rhetorical moves and steps together with students and to discuss ways to incorporate variety in academic writing using the list of p-frames identified in this study.

Are Academics Becoming More Confused Than Before? A Diachronic Study of Confusion Markers in Applied Linguistics Research Articles

Research articles generate and disseminate disciplinary knowledge in a specific field of study. They are expected to be objective, faceless, and free from expressions of emotion. However, linguistic expressions of confusion that signal authors’ affective attitude toward the propositional information are not uncommon in research articles. To determine and describe the dynamic changes that occurred in the deployment of such expressions in communicating disciplinary knowledge, this study examined linguistically expressed confusion in a corpus of 160 research articles in applied linguistics that were published in two periods separated by 30 years. Drawing on a frame-based analytical approach, this study revealed that time of publication was a robust predictor of academic authors’ overall use of confusion markers and the presence of some subcategories across the four frame elements of the Confusion frame. This study sheds new light on the possibilities of applying frame semantics to academic discourse analysis. More importantly, it has pedagogical implications in terms of helping raise the awareness of novice writers about the necessity of acquiring a time-sensitive repertoire of discursive resources to convey an appropriate authorial identity for effective academic communication.

That- stance Found in Discussion Sections in Applied Linguistics Research Articles

This study identified the use of evaluative ‘that’ stance embedded in rhetorical move structures in applied linguistics research articles in discussion sections written in English and published in international and Thai journals. The study aimed to investigate the uses of the evaluative ‘that’ stance in discussion sections for observing the evaluative ‘that’ stance practices in both international and Thai journals. The data was gathered from 80 research articles. The rhetorical moves from the discussion sections were analyzed. Occurrences of the evaluative ‘that’ stance were identified and counted within the embedded rhetorical move-step. The results revealed that international journals and Thai authors employed a similar amount of evaluative ‘that’ stances, although they occurred in different moves and steps. The International authors used an evaluative ‘that’ stance for commenting on results, whereas Thai journal authors tended to use an evaluative ‘that’ stance for reporting results. In the subtypes of evaluative ‘that’ stance, Doubt stance was heavily used in move four: commenting on the results from the international corpus. The findings confirmed that Certainty stance was found in the same contexts from both corpora. Surprisingly, the international journal authors tended to use only a few instances of Neutral stance for commenting on the results. The findings show the differences in the common convention between both journals that could provide information in terms of how the discussion section moves and the evaluative ‘that’ stance presented to help novice EFL scholars to write discussions that comply with international conventions.

Promoting research through claiming centrality and explicit research contributions in applied linguistics research articles

Since authors intend to publish their academic research in reputable journals, promoting their research significance is pivotal to convincing journal gatekeepers for accepting their research articles (RAs). However, studies on research promotion within RAs are still limited, and none has comparatively studied this essential issue in English RAs published in reputable international journals and Indonesian highly-accredited journals as data sets. Thus, comprehending this gap has encouraged me to conduct the present study, by analyzing how claiming centrality and research contribution are employed in both data sets. For the data analysis, I employed a top-down approach for analyzing both data sets and used combined qualitative and quantitative approaches for the analysis reports. Then, the analysis results revealed that while claiming centrality appeared in most of both data sets, presenting research contribution appeared only in a few RAs of both data sets. Then, authors tend to express these two communicative steps using simple sentences more than the other three sentence types, except those published in reputable international journals as they mostly employ complex sentences in expressing their research contribution. These findings imply that promoting research by stating that the current research topic is important for research is important in the data, but using claiming centrality is more dominant than presenting research contribution. These findings also indicate that promoting the significance of current research topics is very essential.

Applied Linguistics Research Articles in Saudi Arabia: A Content Analysis

This study aims at investigating applied linguistics research articles (ALPRAs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) that were published during 2004 – 2022. More precisely, it sought to reveal those articles' distribution, topics they covered, research methods they adopted, data collection instruments, sample members and size, and data analysis techniques they followed. An article classification form (ACF) was adopted to analyze 455 ALPRAs, which were collected through a purposive sample. Results showed that most research articles were published during 2019 – 2022, language teaching and learning/teaching methods were the most AL investigated topics during this period, the quantitative approach dominated the ALPRAs in KSA, and questionnaires were the prevailing data collection tools. Moreover, undergraduates whose numbers ranged between 31 – 100 and 101 – 300 were the sample members and the sample size adopted in ALPRAs. The study recommended that well-designed research method courses are needed to be provided by English Departments in Saudi Universities.

A comparative corpus-based investigation of results sections of research articles in Applied Linguistics and Physics

Abstract The present study sought to identify the generic structures of the results sections of scientific research articles (RAs) between Applied Linguistics and Physics. Following a manual search approach, a total of 200 RAs in the field of Applied Linguistics and Physics from different top prestigious journals randomly were singled out and analyzed. In addition to offering a tentative template for the rhetorical organizations of results sections, the findings revealed shared and non-shared rhetorical units as well as obligatory and optional steps in the results sections (RSs) of research articles between the disciplines. The findings also indicated that RA writers organize the contents of the RSs around certain rhetorical resources (i.e., M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5) to present key experimental and factual analytical results of their studies. The findings further suggested the existence of common core of rhetorical resources in writing RSs between the disciplines, albeit there are a set of certain steps playing an essential part in distinguishing textual features of each discipline as well as depicting how RSs of individual discipline are developed. The findings generated from the study can offer a number of important pedagogical implications for teaching EAP and ESP courses, especially for Applied Linguistics and Physics teachers and students.

An Analysis of Structural Bundles Clustered within Rhetorical Moves of Qualitative and Quantitative Discussion Section of Research Articles

One of the most significant activities that writers can engage in to share their knowledge and establish a voice within the disciplinary community is writing academic research articles. To have a greater understanding of this commonly practiced genre, exploring the linguistic realisations which are used to classify the rhetorical structures of academic research articles is beneficial. This study’s main objective was to analyse structural bundles clustered in rhetorical moves in the Discussion parts of the specialised corpora of qualitative and quantitative datasets of Applied Linguistics Research articles (RAs), wherein each corpus contains Discussion sections of 50 RAs, as well as structural elements of those lexical bundles. For rhetorical move identification, the data were analysed based on Ruiying and Allison’s (2003) model. For lexical bundle analysis, the corpus-driven approach was used to extract four-word lexical bundles. Hence, the data were analysed using Biber et al.'s (1999) structural taxonomy. The analysis of Discussion sections identified some discrepancies in terms of lexical bundle frequency, which has also shown that some moves incorporated more bundles as compared to others. In terms of similarity of usage, the two groups of RA writers significantly used phrasal more than clausal. RA writers used more NP-based bundles at the expense of other phrasal sub-categories. The results of the current study provides insightful knowledge of genre convention as well as cluster of lexical bundles in Qualitative and Quantitative research articles. This knowledge enables authors, especially novice ones, to dive into their academic writing approach.

Interactional Metadiscourse in Applied Linguistics Research Article Abstracts of Moroccan L2 Writers of English: A Small Corpus Investigation

Arguably, the Moroccan academic writing stratosphere has long been understudied. Such oversight is particularly discerning given how beneficial these studies can be for L2 writers of English. To this end, using Hyland’s (2005) metadiscourse framework, the current research studies interactional metadiscourse practices in a small corpus of 15 applied linguistics research article abstracts. These were collected from two Moroccan-based peer-reviewed journals. A “thick” approach for both frequency and textual analysis was adopted. Such an approach led to having contextually grounded results better matching the corpus nature. We can report that the abstracts exhibited a limited degree of reader interaction, shown by the low percentage of interactional markers and their functional orientation. This was attributed to the nature of the discourse community, disciplinary changes, and rhetorical transfer. We recommend that more effort be taken towards creating better academic courses for students in Morocco and elsewhere. We call for scholars of the field to kindly consider students as a source of input in this type of research.

"The very interesting finding suggests that…": A cognitive frame-based analysis of interest markers by authors' geo-academic location in applied linguistics research articles.

Linguistic expressions of interest instantiated by interesting, intriguing, and fascinating that signal the authorial stance are not uncommon in applied linguistics research articles. Nevertheless, they have received little scholarly attention. This paper, taking a cognitive semantic approach, reports on a study that sought to examine how linguistically expressed interest in applied linguistics research articles is leveraged by researchers' geo-academic location (the Core vs. the Periphery). Drawing on a semantic frame generated for interest markers in academic writing, this study focused on the incidence of the various elements of the Interest frame in the discipline of applied linguistics based on a mixed-methods approach. The corpus-based quantitative analyses found that academic writers' geo-academic location was a robust predictor of authors' overall use of interest markers and some frame elements associated with the Interest frame. Triangulation with the interview data obtained from disciplinary specialists revealed that the observed differences could be attributable to the hierarchical academia featuring periphery-based scholars' unequal access to the knowledge production market and under-representation.

Rhetorical Structure of Applied Linguistics Research Article Discussions: A Comparative Cross-Cultural Analysis

Background. Recent years have seen tremendous research efforts in the development of English for academic and research publication purposes, utilising an established approach to comparative genre analysis. This growing interest is primarily driven by the global dominance of Anglophone writing conventions, which necessitates raising awareness among researchers, particularly in non-Anglophone contexts.
 Purpose. This study explored and analysed the communicative intents of the discussion sections in research articles in two different contexts to investigate the effect of nativeness on the structural organisation in this genre. The focus of the study was on the rhetorical structure and employment of Moves in the applied linguistics research article Discussions, written in English by Iranian and native English-speaking researchers.
 Methods. A mixed-methods research study was conducted on two corpora, comprising 40 Discussions written by Iranian scholars and 40 Discussions written by native English-speaking scholars, selected from research articles published in international peer-reviewed journals.
 Results. The comparison of the two corpora revealed similarities and differences in the frequency, type, structure, sequence, and cyclicity of Moves. While there were significant differences in the frequency and sequence of Moves and Steps, both corpora employed the same types. They featured cyclical structures with no evidence of linear patterns across the Discussions. Both groups of researchers found it essential to provide background information and report and comment on the results in the research article Discussions, however, with notable differences in commenting strategies, i.e., Steps. The results indicated that socio-cultural conventions might have influenced the scholars' under- and over-employment of certain Moves and Steps in the research article Discussions.
 Implications. The findings of this study provide research-based evidence to practically and pedagogically assist in the context of English for academic and specific purposes, particularly in teaching English for research publication purposes to non-native English-speaking scholars.

A functional analysis of lexical bundles in the discussion sections of applied linguistics research articles: A cross-paradigm study

Lexical bundles, as “building blocks of discourse” (Biber Barbieri 2007: 263), vary across disciplines and genres. Mastery of lexical bundles signals professionalism and helps identify writers and speakers as members of specific discourse communities. Despite the contribution of lexical bundle research to our understanding of disciplinary variation, the constraints placed by the genre conventions of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to research writing on the use of lexical bundles remain under-researched (Le Harrington 2015). This study aims to explore the extent to which quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research articles are similar or different with respect to the frequency and functional patterns of their lexical bundles. Towards answering this question, however tentatively, the present exploratory study reports on the extent to which lexical bundles function similarly or differently in the discussion sections of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research articles in the field of applied linguistics. A corpus-based analysis of discussion sections in 150 research articles culled from ten highly rated international journals in the field of applied linguistics suggest that at the level of discussion sections, different methodological paradigms are characterized by different functional uses of lexical bundles. These lexical bundles are sufficiently formulaic that it can be argued that they constrain writers’ language preferences. These findings may be of interest to applied linguists, second language educators and advanced learners of academic English.

The deployment of English lexical bundles in applied linguistics research articles by Vietnamese researchers

Lexical Bundles (LBs) have been considered an effective tool for not only academic writing but also spoken discourse. The use of these clusters has attracted a lot of researchers in different registers because of their characteristics and functions in constructing the texts. However, research into LBs seems to be quite rare in English Applied Linguistics (AL) Research Articles (RAs) written by non-native English researchers, especially Vietnamese researchers. This study, therefore, aims to scrutinise Vietnamese researchers’ use of LBs in English AL RAs. A corpus of 77 AL RAs selected from three Journals was built. This study adapted the theoretical frameworks by Biber, Johansson, Leech, Conrad, and Finegan (1999), Biber, Conrad, and Cortes (2004) and Biber (2006) for data analysis. The findings revealed that Vietnamese researchers tended to deploy noun-based LBs more than verb-based and preposition-based ones in their AL RAs. It was further found LBs showing research-oriented functions were prevalent in AL RAs over text-oriented and participant-oriented ones. This research has pedagogical implications in terms of LB use for Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and learners in the teaching and learning of academic writing.

Interactional Metadiscourse Markers in Scientific Texts (Based on Research Articles Written by Native and Non-Native Speakers)

The present research investigated textual representations of writer-reader interaction in academic writing. The focus of the study was on the use of metadiscourse markers, i.e., stance and engagement markers, in applied linguistics research articles (RAs) published in English and Persian, the former written by Persian and English-speaking researchers, and the latter by Persian-speaking researchers. A cross-cultural analysis of RAs revealed similarities and differences in how academic writers express their stance and interact with their readers. Among the stance markers, hedging devices were found to be more frequently used in English RAs for expressing the authors' position, regardless of their native language. Persian RAs, on the other hand, predominantly used attitude markers for that purpose. In terms of the engagement markers, directives were the most prominent linguistic features employed by the writers in their native language. However, they were significantly less frequent in English RAs written by Iranian scholars. Compared to native English writers, Iranian writers showed a slightly stronger tendency to use reader pronouns and personal asides in their native language. This study reinforces the impact of the writers' linguistic and contextual awareness of the first- and second-language academic discourse conventions on the establishment of a successful writer-reader interaction and effective communication of arguments in academic writing.