Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Lexical Complexity in Texts Written by Native and Non-native English Writers: A Case of Conclusion Sections of Social and Natural Science Papers

Document Type : Original Article

Author
M.A in Applied Linguistics (TEFL), Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran
10.22034/jeltal.2024.6.2.9
Abstract
Lexical complexity of a text is the extent to which it includes difficult words. Higher lexical complexity index in a piece of writing indicates the quality of that text and lexical knowledge of that writer. The aim of the current study was to analyze the writing ability of none native English and native English writers and compare their text quality and difficulty. In doing so, the researcher collected 72 conclusion sections of research papers in the natural sciences (Biology, Physics Environmental science), as well as the social sciences of (Psychology, Linguistics & Economics) and analyzed them based on writing quality indexes. The papers were divided into two groups namely English native writers and nonnative writers. The texts were obtained from high-ranking journals (JCR-Scopus). According to the findings, texts written by native speakers in economics are more complex and have more diverse words. In addition, natural science conclusions based on all three measures were richer in lexicon than social science. The results of the study will help improve the writing quality of none native writers of English.
Keywords

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Volume 6, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
September 2024
Pages 195-214

  • Receive Date 12 January 2024
  • Revise Date 20 April 2024
  • Accept Date 25 April 2024