Article published In:
English Text ConstructionVol. 1:1 (2008) ► pp.41–61
Too chatty
Learner academic writing and register variation
The study reported on in this paper uses corpus data in order to examine how upper-intermediate to advanced EFL learners from a wide range of mother tongue backgrounds perform a number of rhetorical functions particularly prominent in academic discourse, and how this compares with native academic writing. In particular, it is shown that one of the problems experienced by EFL learners is that they tend to use features that are more typical of speech than of academic prose, which suggests that they are largely unaware of register differences. Four possible explanations are offered to account for this register confusion, namely the influence of speech, L1 transfer, teaching-induced factors and developmental factors.
Cited by (70)
Cited by 70 other publications
Dilai, Marianna & Iryna Dilai
2024. AI vs humans: a corpus-based study of English academic writing. In Language, Technology, Humanities in Society 5.0, ► pp. 145 ff. 
Gafni, Chen, Livnat Herzig Sheinfux, Hadar Klunover, Anat Bar Siman Tov, Anat Prior & Shuly Wintner
2024. Analyzing learner language: the case of the Hebrew Learner Essay Corpus. Language Resources and Evaluation
Hollmann, Willem B., Kazuko Fujimoto & Masahiro Kuroda
2024. Japanese EFL undergraduate students’ use of the epistemic modal verbs may, might, and could in academic writing. Language Learning in Higher Education 14:1 ► pp. 21 ff.
Lim, Joyce Dong Ok, Geraldine Mark, Pascual Pérez-Paredes & Anne O’Keeffe
2024. Exploring part of speech (pos) tag sequences in a large-scale learner corpus of L2 English: a developmental perspective. Corpora 19:1 ► pp. 31 ff.
Lingard, Lorelei & Chris Watling
2024. The writer's voice repertoire: Exploring how health researchers accomplish a distinctive ‘voice’ in their writing. Medical Education 58:5 ► pp. 523 ff.
MUẞEMANN, VICTORIA
2024. A topic which I want to know more about – preposition placement in finite WH-relative clauses in World Englishes. English Language and Linguistics 28:2 ► pp. 341 ff.
Zalbidea, Janire
2024. Variability in heritage and second language writers’ linguistic complexity: Roles of proficiency and motivational beliefs. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 46:2 ► pp. 330 ff.
Barkaoui, Khaled
2023. Exploring task effects on register variation in second language learners’ writing. TASK. Journal on Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning 3:1 ► pp. 109 ff.
Sanders, Grace & Angela de Bruin
2023. Examining the difference in error detection when listening to native and non-native speakers. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 76:7 ► pp. 1547 ff.
ÖZBAY, Ali Şükrü & Zehra GÜRSOY
2023. Computerized corpus as a tool for educational technology and learning in the analysis of four-word recurrent expressions. Journal of Educational Technology and Online Learning 6:1 ► pp. 249 ff.
Belz, Malte & Carolin Odebrecht
2022. Abschnittsweise Analyse sprachlicher Flüssigkeit in der Lernersprache: Das Ganze ist weniger informativ als seine Teile. Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik 50:1 ► pp. 131 ff.
Kostromitina, Maria
2022. Cross-linguistic transfer in academic journal writing: Evidence from lexical bundle analysis in Russian and English. Research in Corpus Linguistics 10:2 ► pp. 70 ff.
Malá, Markéta, Gabriela Brůhová & Kateřina Vašků
2022. Reporting Verbs in L1 and L2 English Novice Academic Writing. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries 19:2 ► pp. 127 ff.
Rodríguez-Fuentes, Rodrigo A. & Aleksandra M. Swatek
2022. Exploring the effect of corpus-informed and conventional homework materials on fostering EFL students’ grammatical construction learning. System 104 ► pp. 102676 ff.
Ureel, Jim J. J., Ella Diels, Isabelle S. Robert & Iris Schrijver
2022. The development of L2 sociolinguistic competence in translation trainees: an accommodation-based longitudinal study into the acquisition of sensitivity to grammatical (in)formality in English. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 16:1 ► pp. 78 ff.
Gilquin, Gaëtanelle & Samantha Laporte
2021. The Use of Online Writing Tools by Learners of English: Evidence From a Process Corpus. International Journal of Lexicography 34:4 ► pp. 472 ff.
Larsson, Tove, Magali Paquot & Douglas Biber
2021. On the importance of register in learner writing. In Corpus-based approaches to register variation [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 103], ► pp. 235 ff.
Liu, Tanjun
2021. Data-driven learning. In Beyond Concordance Lines [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 102], ► pp. 177 ff.
Güngör, Fatih & Hacer Hande Uysal
2020. Lexical bundle use and crosslinguistic influence in academic texts. Lingua 242 ► pp. 102859 ff.
Sung, Min-Chang
2020. Underuse of English verb–particle constructions in an L2 learner corpus: Focus on structural patterns and one-word preference. Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory 16:1 ► pp. 189 ff.
Szmrecsanyi, Benedikt & Laura Rosseel
2020. English Corpus Linguistics. In The Handbook of English Linguistics, ► pp. 29 ff.
ŞAHİN KIZIL, Aysel
2020. Corpus of Academic Learner English (CALE): A new corpus at the intersection of corpus linguistics and English for academic purposes. The Literacy Trek 6:2 ► pp. 41 ff.
Alward, Ali
2019. Exploring Self-Mention in The Yemeni EFL Argumentative Writing Across Three Proficiency Levels. Issues in Language Studies 8:2
DeCoursey, Christina A
2019. Metadiscourse, Writer Identity and Reader Construction among Novice Arabic-Speaking ESL Writers. English Studies at NBU 5:2 ► pp. 284 ff.
Ebrahimi, Seyed Foad & Seyed Aqil Fakheri
2019. Features of Informality in Applied Linguistics Research Articles Published in Iranian Local Journals. Romanian Journal of English Studies 16:1 ► pp. 135 ff.
Gablasova, Dana, Vaclav Brezina & Tony McEnery
2019. The Trinity Lancaster Corpus
. In Learner Corpora and Language Teaching [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 92], ► pp. 7 ff.
Lee, Joseph J., Tetyana Bychkovska & James D. Maxwell
2019. Breaking the rules? A corpus-based comparison of informal features in L1 and L2 undergraduate student writing. System 80 ► pp. 143 ff.
Man, Deliang & Meng Huat Chau
2019. Learning to evaluate through that-clauses: Evidence from a longitudinal learner corpus. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 37 ► pp. 22 ff.
Marti, Leyla, Selahattin Yilmaz & Yasemin Bayyurt
2019. Reporting research in applied linguistics: The role of nativeness and expertise. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 40 ► pp. 98 ff.
Wang, Ying
2019. A functional analysis of text-oriented formulaic expressions in written academic discourse: Multiword sequences vs. single words. English for Specific Purposes 54 ► pp. 50 ff.
Yoon, Choongil
2019. Stance in the Introductory it Construction: A Comparative Study of Argumentative Writing by Korean EFL and English L1 Students. Lanaguage Research 55:3 ► pp. 601 ff.
Deshors, Sandra C.
2018. Does the passé composé influence L2 learners’ use of English past tenses?. International Journal of Learner Corpus Research 4:1 ► pp. 23 ff.
Pan, Fan
2018. A multidimensional analysis of L1–L2 differences across three advanced levels. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 36:2 ► pp. 117 ff.
Tåqvist, Marie Kristin
2018. “A wise decision”: Pre-modification of discourse-organising nouns in L2 writing. Journal of Second Language Writing 41 ► pp. 14 ff.
Yan, Rui, Agnès Tutin & Thi Thu Hoai Tran
2018. Routines verbales pour les français langue étrangère : des corpus d’experts aux corpus d’apprenants. Lidil :58
Gablasova, Dana, Vaclav Brezina, Tony Mcenery & Elaine Boyd
2017. Epistemic Stance in Spoken L2 English: The Effect of Task and Speaker Style. Applied Linguistics 38:5 ► pp. 613 ff.
Puga, Karin & Sandra Götz
2017. ‘Keep out of reach of children!’ Introducing the Corpus of Product Information (CoPI) and its potential for corpus-based genre teaching. Corpora 12:3 ► pp. 393 ff.
이선정
2017. The Effect of Task Type on Improving EFL Learners’ Awareness of Academic Register in L2 Vocabulary. English21 30:4 ► pp. 367 ff.
Bartley, Leanne & Encarnación Hidalgo-Tenorio
2016. “Well, I think that my argument is…,” or modality in a learner corpus of English. Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics 29:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Deshors, Sandra C., Sandra Götz & Samantha Laporte
2016. Linguistic innovations in EFL and ESL. International Journal of Learner Corpus Research 2:2 ► pp. 131 ff.
Lindstromberg, Seth, June Eyckmans & Rachel Connabeer
2016. A modified dictogloss for helping learners remember L2 academic English formulaic sequences for use in later writing. English for Specific Purposes 41 ► pp. 12 ff.
Wei, Jing
2016. Thematic choice in Chinese college students' English essays. English for Specific Purposes 41 ► pp. 50 ff.
Davidse, Kristin, Liesbet Heyvaert & An Laffut
Gilquin, Gaëtanelle
2015. At the interface of contact linguistics and second language acquisition research. English World-Wide. A Journal of Varieties of English 36:1 ► pp. 91 ff.
Gilquin, Gaëtanelle
2016. Discourse markers in L2 English. In New Approaches to English Linguistics [Studies in Language Companion Series, 177], ► pp. 213 ff.
Gilquin, Gaëtanelle
2021. Using corpora to foster L2 construction learning: A data‐driven learning experiment. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 31:2 ► pp. 229 ff.
Gilquin, Gaëtanelle
2022. Diachronic learner corpus research. In Broadening the Spectrum of Corpus Linguistics [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 105], ► pp. 41 ff.
Gilquin, Gaëtanelle
Gilquin, Gaëtanelle
2023. Second and foreign language learners: The effect of language exposure on the use of English phrasal verbs. International Journal of Bilingualism
Granger, Sylviane
2015. Contrastive interlanguage analysis. International Journal of Learner Corpus Research 1:1 ► pp. 7 ff.
Peters, Elke & Paul Pauwels
2015. Learning academic formulaic sequences. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 20 ► pp. 28 ff.
Rankin, Tom
2015. Review of Tizón-Couto (2014): Clausal Complements in Native and Learner English. A Corpus-Based Study with LINDSEI and VICOLSE. International Journal of Learner Corpus Research 1:2 ► pp. 279 ff.
Urzua, Alfredo
2015. Corpora, context, and language teachers. In Corpus-based Research in Applied Linguistics [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 66], ► pp. 99 ff.
Weigle, Sara Cushing & Eric Friginal
2015. Linguistic dimensions of impromptu test essays compared with successful student disciplinary writing: Effects of language background, topic, and L2 proficiency. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 18 ► pp. 25 ff.
Çandarlı, Duygu, Yasemin Bayyurt & Leyla Martı
2015. Authorial presence in L1 and L2 novice academic writing: Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural perspectives. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 20 ► pp. 192 ff.
De Cock, Sylvie & Henry Tyne
2014. Corpus d'apprenants et acquisition des langues. Recherches en didactique des langues et des cultures 11:1
Hasselgård, Hilde
2014. It-clefts in English L1 and L2 academic writing. In Corpus Interrogation and Grammatical Patterns [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 63], ► pp. 295 ff.
Hasselgård, Hilde
2015. Lexicogrammatical features of adverbs in advanced learner English. ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics 166:1 ► pp. 163 ff.
Hong, Huaqing & Feng Cao
2014. Interactional metadiscourse in young EFL learner writing. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 19:2 ► pp. 201 ff.
Lynne Flowerdew
2014. Learner Corpus Research in EAP: Some key issues and future pathways. English Language and Linguistics 20:2 ► pp. 43 ff.
Pérez-Paredes, Pascual & María Sánchez-Tornel
2014. Adverb use and language proficiency in young learners’ writing. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 19:2 ► pp. 178 ff.
Tono, Yukio & María Belén Díez-Bedmar
2014. Focus on learner writing at the beginning and intermediate stages. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 19:2 ► pp. 163 ff.
Ädel, Annelie
2014. Selecting quantitative data for qualitative analysis: A case study connecting a lexicogrammatical pattern to rhetorical moves. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 16 ► pp. 68 ff.
Abbuhl, Rebekha
2011. Using Models in Writing Instruction. Sage Open 1:3
Abbuhl, Rebekha
2012. Using self-referential pronouns in writing: The effect of explicit instruction on L2 writers at two levels of proficiency. Language Teaching Research 16:4 ► pp. 501 ff.
Lee, David Y.W. & Sylvia Xiao Chen
2009. Making a bigger deal of the smaller words: Function words and other key items in research writing by Chinese learners. Journal of Second Language Writing 18:3 ► pp. 149 ff.
Lee, David Y.W. & Sylvia Xiao Chen
2009. Making a bigger deal of the smaller words: Function words and other key items in research writing by Chinese learners. Journal of Second Language Writing 18:4 ► pp. 281 ff.
[no author supplied]
2008. Book reviews. Linguistics 46:3
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 4 january 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.