Non-native English Writers Research Articles

A Corpus-Based Study on Reporting Verbs Used in Tesol Research Articles by Native and Non-Native Writers

This corpus-based research aimed to compare the use of reporting verbs in TESOL research articles between non-native and native English writers. Two corpora including 30 for the non-native corpus and 30 for the native corpus were constructed for analysis. The data in the form of plain text were processed via AntConc software version 3.5.7. The findings indicated significant differences in terms of frequency, function, and position between the two corpora. Specifically, more reporting verbs were found in the non-native corpus than in the native corpus. Of four verb groups of Argue, Find, Show, and Think, Argue group was the top priority used in TESOL research articles by both non-native and native English authors. The results of the functional and positional analysis in both the corpora also showed that two most common functions of reporting verbs were (1) presentation and (2) evaluation and examination, and most of the observed reporting verbs were in neutral position.

Presupposition Triggers in British and Saudi English Newspaper Opinions

This paper aims to investigate the presupposition triggers in British and Saudi English newspaper opinions. The data of the study comprises a sample of 30 newspaper opinions articles selected from the Saudi Gazette and the UK Gazette (15 articles each). The results demonstrate that the Saudi articles receive the highest number of presupposition triggers occurrences, that is 556 (56.60%) compared to the UK articles which receive 426 (43.40%). The results also reveal that ‘existential’ and ‘lexical’ presupposition triggers in both cases are the ones used the most while ‘non-factive’ ‘structural’ presupposition triggers are the least. Comparison between the two cases indicates that there are considerable similarities. The few differences are not very significant; hence, it is true to say that native and non-native writers of English used presupposition triggers similarly. Based on the study findings, the following implications have been drawn: presupposition triggers help speakers and writers pass a lot of information to their audiences; they are used by speakers and writers to set the background of their negotiation for better and effective communication; and they are used by speakers and writers in order to mold the ideologies of their audiences. The study concludes with some pedagogical recommendations for EFL instructors in the TEFL context and suggestions for further studies on presuppositions in discourse analysis.

CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH MODAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN ENGINEERING PAPERS

Academic English can be said to be non-emotional. However, when texts written by speakers with different mother tongues are analysed, language variation can be observed in the way some constructions are used. In this paper, a corpus of academic papers is studied to extract frequencies and examples of modal probability construction and to analyse variation in the use of this construction when employed by non-native writers of English. The main objective of this analysis is to apply the principles of Construction Grammar to language variation. Further objectives are to detect variation in the use of modal constructions and to study their functions in the specific field of engineering. For this purpose, a corpus of one hundred academic papers written in English by Spanish writers and by native English-speaking writers was compiled. The constructions made up of modal verb + infinitive that indicate probability were then identified. Examples of this English construction used in different ways to express the same meaning by researchers with different mother tongues were discussed. Finally, results were commented on and conclusions were drawn.

Lexical features in argumentative writing across English writers from different language backgrounds

AbstractThis corpus-based research analysed three lexical features (lexical diversity, lexical sophistication, and cohesion) in English argumentative writing and examined the potential differences in lexical performance (1) between native and nonnative English writers and (2) across all writers from various language backgrounds. The findings revealed that nonnative English writers demonstrated significantly lower performance in lexical sophistication than did native English writers. Significant differences in all three lexical aspects exist between writers from different language backgrounds. Pedagogical implications for vocabulary instruction in academic writing for nonnative writers include emphasizing the mastery of academic, low-frequency, and discipline-specific vocabulary. Additionally, improving nonnative writers’ vocabulary size and lexical diversity is essential for building deeper level cohesion in writing. The results suggest unique writing characteristics of different nonnative writers and their varied learner needs should be acknowledged. Thus, targeted instruction is essential to provide effective enhancement to nonnative English writers’ lexical performance in academic writing.

The Role of Task Representation in Completing an Integrated L2 Writing Task: Evidence from Eye-Tracking and Stimulated Recall

Task representation is an essential step for second/foreign language writers when they compose either classroom writing assignments or write in a test situation. This study used a combination of eye-tracking and stimulated recall techniques to investigate the task representation processes of 16 non-native English writers who completed an integrated reading-to-write task. Results showed that the participants engaged in task representation processes throughout task completion. Evidence from their eye movements and stimulated verbal recalls proved that this type of cognitive process is not a single, simple act, but an extended, repetitive interpretive process that may occur at different phases of writing. The inclusion of reading materials in a writing task may complicate writers’ task representation process by introducing more reading into the process of writing, and thus calls for more interaction between these two skills.

Does the MS Spell Checker Effectively Correct Non-Native English Writers’ Errors? A Case Study of Saudi University Students

Those learning English as a second or foreign language use spell checkers to correct the mistakes and errors they may have made while typing texts on a computer. However, scholars have debated the effectiveness of such checkers, which were originally designed to fix the spelling mistakes of native speakers. An example of these checkers is the Microsoft (MS) Word program, which constitutes the focus of the current study. This study examined how MS Word treats misspellings made by Saudi learners of English as a foreign language. It specifically addressed three research questions: (1) which L2 spelling errors were successfully fixed by MS Word; (2) which L2 spelling errors were unsuccessfully fixed by MS Word; and (3) how did intermediate L2 learners respond to alternative corrections provided by MS Word. A screen-tracking software, Screencast-O-Matic, was used to monitor the MS Word spell checker’s treatment of misspelled words. It was also used to track learners’ reactions to alternative corrections provided by MS Word in real time. The study analysed 401 errors made by25 female intermediate-level English learners at a Saudi university.

The argumentation structure of research article ‘findings and discussion’ sections written by Non-native English speaker novice writers: a case of Indonesian undergraduate students

ABSTRACT Considering the increasing participation of non-native English speaker (NNES) writers in international publications, the rhetorical organization of their research articles (RAs) keeps receiving ample attention from researchers of English for academic purposes. However, the issue is understudied among NNES novice writers. This study examines the rhetorical organization of academic argumentation in 113 Indonesian English education undergraduate students' iterative findings and discussion sections using a move analysis method. The findings demonstrated that the conformity manifestations of the comments move were exhibited in interpreting results and comparing results with previous literature. The non-conformity manifestations exemplified the limited manifestations of dissimilarities with previous research and the absence of explanation after claims were made. This caused an absence of criticality as the fundamental element of RA writing. Moreover, several grammar-related and idea-related errors occurred in most steps. Hence, recommendations for the pedagogy of English for research publication purposes and future research are presented.

Reporting research in applied linguistics: The role of nativeness and expertise

This study aimed to investigate the role of nativeness and expertise on reporting practices in writing with regards to patterns of use and construction of stance. The study compared four corpora of research articles and papers in the field of applied linguistics written by expert native English writers, Turkish non-native expert English writers, novice native English writers, and Turkish novice non-native English writers. A corpus-based analysis explored the features of these other-sourced research reports, that is, verb controlling that clauses focusing on subject type, reference type, and reporting verbs. Findings show that expertise level is an important factor in disciplinary writing as native and non-native expert writers show little variation in their reporting practices whereas remarkable variation is found between non-native novice writers and the other groups. Furthermore, findings support the view that non-native writing is discursively hybrid, a phenomenon that is more evident in novice writing.

Realization of Authorial Ideations & Purposes through Transitivity Analysis of Media Texts Written by Native and Non-native Writers of English: A SFG Perspective

Realization of Authorial Ideations & Purposes through Transitivity Analysis of Media Texts Written by Native and Non-native Writers of English: A SFG Perspective

Interpersonal Meaning in Media texts Written by Native & Non-native Writers of English

This study presents an exploration of how interpersonal meaning is created and recognized in media texts written by native and non-native writers of English. The objectives of this study are: to compare and describe the types of interpersonal meaning, and the various structures and speech functions realized in media texts from native and non-native online newspapers that reveal the authors' intention to influence the readers. Eight articles from Washington Post (WP) & Arab News (AN) online newspapers were collected for the analysis. The texts' clauses were identified and analyzed for mood and modality based on Halliday's framework of Systemic Functional Grammar. The analysis reveals that the most dominant mood type is declarative, and modality of medium value pervades all the texts with higher frequency in WP newspaper which makes the authors appear to be more personal and certain about their claims than the AN authors. Yet, declarative moods have varying structures and varying degrees of ‘functions’. The conclusion shows that this variation in the clause structures and functions is done with the authors' intention to get the readers persuaded.

Realization of Authorial Ideations & Purposes Through Transitivity Analysis of Media Texts Written by Native and Non-Native Writers of English: A SFG Perspective

Realization of Authorial Ideations & Purposes Through Transitivity Analysis of Media Texts Written by Native and Non-Native Writers of English: A SFG Perspective

Introduction sections: where are we going and why should I care?

This chapter aims to provide an instructional review about how to write effective introduction sections for original medical research articles. First, the basic function and aims of the introduction section are discussed. The introduction has the most important social role in the text as it should act as a bridge for the reader to the more technical parts of the document. It should thus be written with the reader kept carefully in mind, and should be able to interest them and convince them of the study’s significance. Next, the major functions of a successful introduction are reviewed including the general background and motivation, the academic background and literature gap, the research problem statement, the methodology and the social impact. Using examples, these functions are analyzed according to the common English language features associated with them such as verb tense, noun types, common words and phrases etc. Some recurring errors made by non-native English writers relating to these language features are also identified. After this, ways to ensure that the separate introduction functions are crafted into a unified section are outlined. A general structure beginning from the broadest statement and narrowing to the most specific is suggested. Placing content-similar functions together, and binding them with cohesive techniques provides further connectedness within and between paragraphs and increases the readability of the text. Finally, a sample introduction and related exercises are given, so the reader can apply the concepts covered in this chapter.

Syntactic complexity of online newspaper editorials across countries

This study attempts to reveal the syntactic complexity of online English newspaper editorials across countries. The data was taken from ten online English newspaper and was analyzed by using L2 syntactic complexity analyzer (Lu, 2010). Second Language Syntactic Complexity Analyzer (L2SCA) program displays fourteen syntactic complexity measures. Those editorials were derived from ten online newspaper in the USA, UK, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and Singapore. All the editorials were written in English by the local newspaper editors, so they contain varied production units and grammatical structures from native English writers and non-native English writers. The results of the study reveal that the non-native online newspaper, The Vaguardgnr from Nigeria, shows the most complexity of sentence structure as indicated in the length of production unit which correlate with higher levels of proficiency. Meanwhile, the native online newspaper, The New York Times from USA, displays the highest score of subordination, which indicate complexity at the beginning and intermediate levels of proficiency. Hence, in most newspapers, the purpose of editorials is to influence the opinions of readers on some controversial issues.

A Corpus-based Study on the Use of Three-word Lexical Bundles in the Academic Writing by Native English and Turkish Non-native Writers

The utilization of English recurrent word combinations –lexical bundles- play a fundamental role in academic prose (Karabacak & Qin, 2013). There has been highly limited research about comparing Turkish non-native and native English writers’ use of lexical bundles in academic prose in terms of frequency, structure and functions of lexical bundles (Bal, 2010; Karabacak & Qin, 2013, Öztürk, 2014). Therefore, this current research was conducted in order to investigate the most frequently used lexical bundles in the academically published articles of Turkish non-native and native speakers of English and to investigate whether there was a significant difference between native and non-native scholars with respect to the frequency, structures and functions of English language lexical bundles. The data were collected from two corpora; 15 scientific articles of native speakers and 15 scientific articles of Turkish advanced writers. The investigation included a quantitative analysis of the use of three-word lexical bundles and a qualitative analysis of the functions and structures they serve. To be more conservative, three-word lexical bundles which occur 40 times per million words and appear in 5 different texts were described a lexical bundle in this current research. The findings revealed that Turkish non-native writers showed underuse and less variation in the use of lexical bundles in their academic prose compared to native speakers.

Linguistic Disadvantage and Authorial Identity in Research Articles Written by Native English and Thai Writers in International Publication

Research have reported that one of the challenges faced by non-native English writers to have their research articles (RAs) accepted by English-medium journals is to fulfill the journals’ expectations in terms of linguistic aspect. In addition, non-native English writers seem to be having the problem in expressing their authorial identity which is needed to build one’s academic arguments. Therefore, this research was conducted to 1) explore whether linguistic disadvantage exists among native English writers or Thai writers in international publication, and 2) discover how the native English and Thai writers assert their identities through different rhetorical purposes of RAs. Eight university lecturers in Applied Linguistics (AL) from a few universities in Thailand were interviewed to understand their views on the issues of writing for scholarly publication in the English language. The findings revealed two salient emerging themes: (1) the role of linguistic disadvantage and (2) variation in authorial identity between native English and Thai writers. The study has found that linguistic disadvantage exists among the Thai writers. The native English writers expressed their authorial identity overtly but the Thai writers deferred their authorial identity. It is suggested that teachers in Thailand emphasize more on the knowledge of linguistic aspect required in international publication and the effective use of linguistic realization of authorial identity in academic writing.

English

Citing previous works is an important rhetorical feature of academic writing and it is challenging for novice writers, especially non-native English writers (NNEWs). However, little is known about how NNEWs cite in each chapter of their master’s (M.A.) theses. This paper thus reports on the citation practice in 24 TESOL M.A. theses written by Vietnamese students. Citation types were first searched on the Antconc software with the use of the Regular Expressions (Regex) written for both conventional and ‘invented’ citing ways by this group of writers, and then based on Thompson and Tribble’s (2001) framework, citation functions were investigated and classified. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with thesis writers and thesis supervisors. Besides the general citation practice by this group of NNEWs, and the different citation functions and types in different chapters of their theses, the study also found that these writers were not fully aware of the significance of citations as a rhetorical device in their thesis writing, and insufficient attention was paid to the in-text citations in the TESOL discourse community in Vietnam. These findings suggest explicit instructions on citations in order to help novice writers to fully acquire the citation use. Keywords: citation type; citation function; Vietnamese writer; Master’s thesis; TESOL DOI: http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2016-2203-06

A Comparative Analysis of Lexical Bundles Used by Native and Non-native Scholars

<p>In the recent years, globalization prepared a ground for English to be the lingua franca of the academia. Thus, most highly prestigious international journals have defined their medium of publications as English. However, even advanced language learners have difficulties in writing their research articles due to the lack of appropriate lexical knowledge and discourse conventions of academia. Considering the fact that the underuse, overuse and misuse of formulaic sequences or lexical bundles are often characterized with non-native writers of English, lexical bundle studies have recently been on the top of the agenda of corpus studies. Although the related literature has represented specific genres or disciplines, no study has scrutinized lexical bundles in the research articles that are written in the educational sciences. Therefore, the current study compared the structural and functional characteristics of the lexical-bundle use in L1 and L2 research articles in English. The results revealed the deviation of the usages of lexical bundles by the non-native speakers of English from the native speaker norms. Furthermore, the results indicated the overuse of clausal or verb-phrase based lexical bundles in the research articles of Turkish scholars while their native counterparts used noun and prepositional phrase-based lexical bundles more than clausal bundles.</p>

“Indicating a Research Gap” in Computer Science Research Article Introductions by Non-Native English Writers

Writing research article to a peer reviewed publication is a complex process and involves daunting communication with the referees, co-authors and editors. Publication writing is more challenging than the usual communicative expression yet; prolific writers often pass through the processes without too much difficulty. Prolific writers draw on many writing strategies and one of the strategies is by highlighting the research gap. Most of the time, the research gaps highlighted are those related to the intended research niche and the intended study. While the strategy has been used and taught in many research writing instances, the strategy has been reported to be unpopular amongst the non-native English research writers. Although many non-native English writers are aware of the importance of the research gap, not much is known on how this strategy is being practiced. In view of the underutilization of this strategy and limited studies on the strategy in non-native context, this paper investigates the use of this strategy in 150 research articles introductions in Computer Science disciplines written by academicians in Malaysian Universities. The finding of this study confirmed that indicating research gap” is underutilized by the Malaysians. In addition, this paper also described four various ways on how this strategy is commonly used by the non-native writers. The confirmation and authentic examples may be useful in the teaching and learning of research article writing.

Electronic lexicography goes local: Design and structures of a needs-driven online academic writing aid / Die elektronische Lexikographie wird spezifischer: Das Design und die Struktur einer auf die Benutzerbedürfnisse berzogenen akademischen Online- Schreibhilfe / La lexicographie électronique devient plus spécifique: conception et structure d‘une aide à l‘écriture académique

Abstract Writing idiomatic academic texts in English is a challenge faced by an increasing number of international students and scholars. In this article, we present a web-based dictionary-cum-writing aid tool, the Louvain English for Academic Purposes Dictionary, which aims to address the attested needs of non-native writers of English, with a particular focus on the phraseological patterning of academic words. First, we present the general design of the dictionary, highlighting four of its main features, i.e. the fact that it is corpus-based, production-oriented, hybrid and customizable. We then describe key aspects of the macro- and microstructure and highlight innovative features of the access structure, such as direct access to discipline-specific corpora. The conclusion outlines some important priorities for the future, in particular the need for validation and the desirability of integrating the dictionary into a wider learning environment.

Native and non-native English scholars publishing research internationally

This paper presents a small collection of case reports which seek to explore the rhetorical resources used by native (North-American) and non-native English (Spanish) scholars when publishing research in international journals. The interview protocols enquired into the pressure on scholars to publish internationally, their adherence to rhetorical conventions in the transmission of knowledge, and their awareness of being persuasive when addressing an international readership. Complementing the interview data, textual analysis was used to quantify a sample of linguistic features and interpret them as rhetorical devices that writers use to construct new knowledge, evaluate research processes and highlight research outcomes. Although the two groups of informants made similar observations in the interviews, the textual analysis revealed several intercultural differences as regards the degree of authorial visibility/ invisibility in the texts. While advocating the maintenance of cultural diversity in academic prose, implications of whether non-native English writers should adopt Anglophone conventions or rather retain their culture-specific rhetorical styles when publishing internationally are also discussed.