Lexical bundles in learner and expert academic writing

  1. Navarro Gil, Noelia 1
  2. Martínez Caro, Elena 2
  1. 1 Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
  2. 2 Universidad Complutense de Madrid
    info

    Universidad Complutense de Madrid

    Madrid, España

    ROR 02p0gd045

Journal:
Bellaterra: journal of teaching and learning language and literature

ISSN: 2013-6196

Year of publication: 2019

Issue Title: February/March 2019

Volume: 12

Issue: 1

Pages: 65-90

Type: Article

DOI: 10.5565/REV/JTL3.794 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Bellaterra: journal of teaching and learning language and literature

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Abstract

Lexical bundles (LBs) have been described as the ‘building blocks of discourse’; in addition to being highly frequent in writing and reducing processing time for readers and writers, they also perform important functions in language. LB choice, however, can vary according to genre, discipline, and different sections of the same text, which poses a challenge for novice L2 writers. This paper explores the use of LBs in a learner corpus of bachelor dissertations written in English by Spanish L1 students in linguistics and medicine, and compares it with published research articles in the same disciplines. By focusing on the introduction and conclusion sections, we identify the most frequent 3-, 4- and 5-word bundles in the corpora, to later study their types, structures, and functions. The results show differences in the use of LBs across disciplines, genres and sections, suggesting pedagogical implications for the inclusion of LBs in the L2 writing curriculum.

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