Noun Phrase Complexity in ESL Academic Writing

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between second language proficiency and noun phrase complexity in the writing of students in an English for academic purposes (EAP) program. Based on a developmental progression index suggested by Biber et al. (2011), the project examined noun phrase complexity in the writing of intermediate and advanced students in an EAP program in Ghana. The study’s data consists of a corpus of 50 successful argumentative essays written by intermediate and advanced-level students. Findings from a comparative analysis corroborate the hypothesized developmental index. The intermediate group used more attributive and predicative adjectives, modifiers that have been predicted to occur early in the developmental index while the advanced group used more abstract phrases with relative and noun clauses, modifiers that have been predicted to occur late in the developmental index. Also, the use of noun modifiers by the advanced group was closer to the published frequencies of advanced writers as reported by previous studies (e.g., Lan & Sun, 2019). The paper concludes with some pedagogical implications for L2 academic writing instruction.