Similar Semantic Category Distributions but Distinct Noun Choices in Nonacademic Second Language Writing of Graduate Students With Different Disciplinary Backgrounds
A Natural Language Processing‐Based Analysis
Datos Bibliográficos
| ID | 22416385 |
|---|---|
| Autores | Haerim Hwang (0000-0003-0888-590X, Department of English The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong), Hyunwoo Kim (0000-0003-4810-6333, Department of English Language and Literature Yonsei University South Korea) |
| Año | 2026 |
| Fecha de publicación | 2026-07-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Sí |
| Open Access | Sí |
| Tipo | ARTICLE |
| Revista | International Journal of Applied Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Identificadores de la revista | ISSN: 0802-6106 • E-ISSN: 1473-4192 |
| Editorial | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ijal.70299 |
| OpenAlex | W7167895064 |
| Idioma | EN |
| Referencias citadas | 32 |
The disciplinary background of second language (L2) writers can shape their writing style, including their lexical choices. This study examines lexical differences in nonacademic argumentative essays on the same topic by L2‐English graduate students with humanities‐related or science‐related majors. Using natural language processing (NLP) techniques, the study extracts nouns from these writers’ essays and classifies them into 21 semantic categories of the English UCREL Semantic Analysis System. Regression analyses show no significant difference in the distribution of the semantic categories between the two groups. However, a follow‐up keyness analysis reveals that their specific noun choices do differ significantly: The humanities students’ writing includes more nouns related to psychological and social ideas, while the science students’ writing utilizes more nouns referring to concrete objects. These findings suggest that even when L2 writers address a topic outside of their field, their disciplinary background plays a role in their noun choices, influencing how they express their ideas. The study's results also demonstrate the benefits of combining different analytical methods to examine the same data, with important implications for teaching and learning practices.
Academic writing · Argumentative · Discipline · Noun · Part of speech · Second language writing · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Writing and Handwriting Education
Writing and Identity
Syntactic and lexical development in an intensive English for Academic Purposes programme
Different topics, different discourse
Stance and engagement in pure mathematics research articles
As can be seen
Discipline and Level Specificity in University Students' Written Vocabulary
Lexical Bundles and Disciplinary Variation in University Students’ Writing
The Theoretical Research Article as a Reflection of Disciplinary Practices
Generative AI is useful for second language writing, but when, why, and for how long do learners use it
Tracking the development in second language writers’ use of academic vocabulary in discipline-specific assignments
An automatized semantic analysis of two large-scale listening tests
Significant or random
Vertical and Horizontal Discourse
Lexical bundles in published and student disciplinary writing
Depicting and researching disciplines
Disciplinary discourse
| Velocidad de citación | historical |
|---|---|
| Altamente citado | No |