Title: Integrating Formal and Functional Approaches to Second Language Writing Complexity
Stream: English for Academic Purposes
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Yiran Xu, Georgetown University, United States
Abstract:
In light of the continued discussion on the construct of second language (L2) writing complexity over the last four decades (Ortega, 2003; Wolfe-Quintero, Inagaki, & Kim, 1998), this article investigates the interlanguage complexity of English L2 learners in expository writing. Using an integrated approach that incorporates a systemic functional perspective into the structure-oriented understanding of the complexity construct in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research, this study analyzed syntactic complexity and language density in 104 expository essays written by Korean L2 learners of English across three proficiency levels (A2, B1, and B2 with 37, 36, and 31 learners respectively). 40 expositions composed by English native speakers were used as a comparison. Syntactic complexity was evaluated in terms of subordination complexity and phrasal complexity, and language density was analyzed through the quantity and quality of nominalization. Results show that texts written by more advanced learners are characterized by increasingly intricate syntactic structures with heavy reliance on clause combination, while the deployment of nominalizations in constructing condensed, abstract discourse remained low, regardless of their proficiency levels. The discussion further elaborates on task complexity, native speaker performance, and infelicitous nominalization use. The current study aims to contribute to the thrust of theoretical renewal of the complexity construct validity and shed light on curriculum and pedagogy in classroom contexts.
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