English language learning
Jabal Hasan; Manijeh Youhanaee; Zargham Ghabanchi
Abstract
This study aimed at investigating the L2 rhetorical organization of translation and free writing tasks in terms of cohesive devices used by intermediate EFL learners in the narrative genre. To do so, 30 intermediate EFL learners took part in the study. The participants were asked to translate three narrative ...
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This study aimed at investigating the L2 rhetorical organization of translation and free writing tasks in terms of cohesive devices used by intermediate EFL learners in the narrative genre. To do so, 30 intermediate EFL learners took part in the study. The participants were asked to translate three narrative texts from Arabic to English and write three narratives related to the general topics given to them as prompts. The data obtained from translation narratives were compared with a standard translation for each text. Results indicated that EFL leaners produce shorter passages in the target language than in the source language; however, they used significantly more ties than expected for certain types of cohesive devices. Moreover, comparisons between translated narratives and free narratives indicated no significant difference between the translated and composed narratives. It is argued that patterns of cohesive devices used are compatible with properties of their first language. The findings also show that, unlike English grammatical properties, cohesive devices are not a problematic area and would not lead to fossilized errors in the performance of EFL learners.
English language teaching
Fazel Alaei; Shiva Kaivanpanah; Maedeh Mohammadi
Abstract
The present study examined the difference between L1 and L2 lexical diversity of argumentative and narrative writings of L2 learners, and the contribution of syntactic complexity and lexical diversity to the writing quality in the L2 argumentative and narrative writings of EFL learners. To this end, ...
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The present study examined the difference between L1 and L2 lexical diversity of argumentative and narrative writings of L2 learners, and the contribution of syntactic complexity and lexical diversity to the writing quality in the L2 argumentative and narrative writings of EFL learners. To this end, 46 pre-intermediate and intermediate Iranian EFL learners from four intact classes wrote one argumentative and one narrative essay in L2, and one argumentative and one narrative essay in L1 on different topics. Paired-samples t-tests revealed that lexical diversity surfaced more in the L1 writing of the learners. Multiple linear regressions indicated that among five measures of syntactic complexity, mean length of T-unit and clauses per T-unit better predict the quality of argumentative writing. In addition, complex nominals per clause are better predictors of narrative writing quality. Simple linear regressions showed that lexical diversity is a significant predictor of L2 writing in both genres. Based on the findings, writing instructors are advised to provide L2 learners with explicit instruction on the use of diverse vocabulary and different syntactic structures in order to help them improve the quality of their writing.
