Lexical bundles in english argumentative writing of russian uni-versity stu-dents: a corpus-driven study
https://doi.org/10.26907/2658-3321.2023.6.3.334-343
Keywords:
corpus linguistics, lexical bundles, academic writing, argumentative essays, proficiencyAbstract
The use of formulaic sequences is an essential part of writing development in English for academic purposes. However, there is limited research on the frequency and structure of these sequences used by Russian-speaking student writers across different proficiency levels. This study investigates the use of lexical bundles in argumentative essays written by Russian university students at three proficiency levels (C1, B2, and B1) using the REALEC corpus. The results indicate that lower-level students tend to rely on bundles more frequently, but with less variety due to limited linguistic resources. The structural analysis shows a significant preference for verb-phrase-based bundles and frequent use of verb phrases with pronouns, particularly personal pronouns. Colloquial quantifiers and evaluative bundles, such as anticipatory it-patterns, were also found to be extensively used by the students, regardless of their proficiency level. Additionally, the study highlights the widespread use of conversational and stereotypic bundles in the students' argumentative essays, even at higher levels of assessed proficiency, with their frequency increasing as proficiency level decreases. The findings of this study have practical and pedagogical implications for the acquisition, instruction, and assessment of second-language writing in English for academic purposes.
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