Lexical Bundles in University EAP Exam Writing Samples: CAEL Test Essays.

摘要

This study investigates the use of 4-7 word lexical bundles in the writing of NNS writers taking the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) assessment. Written essays sourced from CAEL test archives were used to compile two corpora of non-native English writers' discourse. These written essays were divided into two corpora of low-level and high-level writers so that comparisons could be made between the two groups. The identified lexical bundles in each corpus were analyzed along three separate lines: functional analysis was used to demonstrate the differences in how lexical bundles were used by each group of writers to structure their discourse; an analysis of the length of lexical bundles used by each group showed how each group differed in terms of how they made use of longer strings of recurrent language; comparing the lexical bundles to the two reading articles given to test takers during their examinations showed how the two groups of writers differed in terms of their reliance on this source in their writing.;The investigation of lexical bundles in non-native English writers discourse contributes to a growing understanding of the differences in how non-native English writers make use of lexical bundles in their writing.