Frequency and Functions of Non-Finite Clauses in Native and Non-Native Academic Texts

Yıl 2023, , 957 - 970, 30.11.2023

Samet Taşçı

https://doi.org/10.31592/aeusbed.1319337

Öz

Non-finite clauses are one of the elements considered as an index of syntactic complexity, which is a distinguishing feature of academic register. In this sense, the current study aims to reveal the frequency and syntactic functions of non-finite clauses in the academic writings of non-native and native English students. In order to reach this aim, a specialized corpus with two sub-corpora consisting of the MA and PhD theses of natives and non-natives was compiled. The native and non-native corpora were similar in terms of size and the topics of the texts. The data were analyzed using the Antconc concordancing tool, and the log-likelihood tool was used to calculate the significance of the findings. The result of the study showed that non-natives significantly underused the non-finite clauses in their academic texts compared to their native counterparts. Although there is a statistically significant difference in terms of the overall frequency of non-finite clauses, the distribution of the forms of the non-finite clauses was found to be balanced in NS and NNS texts. That is, both NSs and NNSs used bare infinitives less frequently and to infinitival most frequently in academic papers. In terms of the syntactic functions of the non-finite clauses, adjectival (adnominal) was used more frequently and nominals were used less frequently in both corpora. The findings of this study were compared with the previous findings, and educational implications were presented.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Functions, non-finite, academic register, non-natives, corpus.

Destekleyen Kurum

yok

Proje Numarası

proje değildir.

Teşekkür

I would like to thank to anonymous reviewer who contributed to this study.

Anadil ve Yabancı Dil konuşuru Akademik İngilizcesinde Yüklemi Çekimsiz Yan Cümlelerin Sıklığı ve İşlevleri

Öz

Yüklemi çekimsiz yan cümleler, akademik söylemin ayırt edici özelliklerinden biri olan sözdizimsel karmaşıklığın bir belirleyicisi olarak kabul edilmektedir. Bu bağlamda bu çalışma, anadili İngilizce olan ve anadili İngilizce olmayan öğrencilerin akademik yazınlarında yüklemi çekimsiz yan cümlelerin sıklık ve sözdizimsel işlevlerini ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda anadil ve yabancı dil konuşuru yazarların lisansüstü tezlerinden oluşan aynı büyüklükte ve benzer konuları içeren özelleştirilmiş derlemler oluşturulmuştur. Veriler Antconc yazılımı ile analiz edilmiş ve bulguların arasında farklılık olup olmadığı log-likelihood yazılımı ile belirlenmiştir. Çalışmanın sonucu anadili İngilizce olmayan yazarların yüklemi çekimsiz yan cümleleri anadili İngilizce olan yazarlara kıyasla önemli ölçüde daha az kullandıklarını göstermiştir. Yüklemi çekimsiz yan cümlelerin genel sıklığı açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark olmasına rağmen, türlerinin dağılımının her iki derlemde de dengeli olduğu görülmüştür. Yani, anadili İngilizce olan ve olmayan yazarlar akademik yazınlarında en az yalın eylemliliği kullanırken en sık mastarları kullanmıştır. Yüklemi çekimsiz yan cümlelerin sözdizimsel işlevleri açısından her iki derlemde de niteleyici yan cümlelerin daha sık ad yan cümleleri daha az kullanılmıştır. Bu çalışmada elde edilen bulgular daha önceki bulgularla karşılaştırılmış ve eğitsel çıkarımlar sunulmuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sözdizimsel işlev, yüklemi çekimsiz yan cümle, akademik söylem, derlem.

Proje Numarası

proje değildir.

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