ERIC Number: EJ1338866
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2490-4198
EISSN: N/A
A Prelude to Determine 'Datum Point' for MA Writing in English: Comparing Syntactic Complexity of Inner-Circles and Expanding-Circles
Demir, Cuneyt
Arab Journal of Applied Linguistics, v6 n2 p31-70 2021
Writing native-like has always been a primary purpose for non-native writers of English and, accordingly, many language components have been investigated to develop writers' fluency. One of these language components is syntactic complexity (SC), which is often regarded as a reliable way to grade any texts from easy to difficult. This study aims to compare native and non-native writers' fluency by measuring their SC and to create a reference SC point for non-native writers of English. To achieve this, the study comprised two groups: Group 1 was composed of native speakers from Inner-circle countries, namely USA, England, Canada, and Australia, and Group 2 was composed of non-native speakers from Expanding countries, namely Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. The data were composed of 200 MA dissertations in ELT equally collected from countries in Group 1 and Group 2. SC realisations were divided into 14 subcategories. The 14 sub-categories constituted a taxonomy for SC and they were analysed through ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Independent sample t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests. The results showed that there is a statistically significant difference in 9 categories in favour of Group 1 and that the average SC scores of Group1 are significantly high compared to Group 2. The study suggests that writers of MA dissertations pay particular attention to SC, if native-like fluency is sought because it was concluded that native writers of MA dissertations are prone to write with higher SC level when compared to non-native writers of MA dissertations.
Descriptors: Syntax, Native Language, Native Speakers, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Writing (Composition), English (Second Language), Masters Theses, Foreign Countries, Language Teachers, Discourse Analysis, Academic Language, Writing Skills
Faculty of Human and Social Sciences of Tunis, Tunisia. 94 BD du 9 Avril Tunis 1007, Tunisia. Tel: 216-71564797; Fax: 216-567551; Web site: arjals.com/ajal
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; United Kingdom (England); Canada; Australia; Turkey; Saudi Arabia; Russia; China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A