A Data-Driven Study of the English Lexical Verbs Some Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence in Learners’ Academic Writing

Abstract

Lexical verbs have been predominantly significant in any written texts, as revealed by many corpus-based studies. Past research on second language acquisition (SLA) also shows that lexical verbs have been one of the most difficult items for non-native learners. Therefore, in the perspective of second language learning, the significance of lexical verbs can be viewed as twofold: in the learning of vocabulary and in the learning of grammar. In view of this, this chapter presents the findings of an ongoing data-driven study through quantitative and qualitative analyses of the lexical verbs in a corpus of academic writing of Malay ESL (English as a second language) learners, i.e. Written English Corpus of Malay ESL Learners (WECMEL). It aims to describe the linguistic classification and grammatical structure of the lexical verbs used by Malay ESL learners. The findings generally show that learners have the tendency to use lexical verbs repeatedly and to employ one verb form, i.e. VVI, more often than the others. The lack of vocabulary repertoire and overuse and underuse of verb forms by these learners may indicate some linguistic inability. It is hoped that the findings would lead to some pedagogical implications that could improve learners’ use of lexical verbs in academic writing and hence enhance their general writing ability in the academic context.

This research is funded by the Research Management Institute of UiTM under the RIF (Research Intensive Faculty) grant.