Yuhan HU;Qiuyan YAN;Syntactic complexity is widely recognized as a key indicator of second language(L2) writing performance. While research on syntactic complexity has increased in recent years, limited attention has been paid to journal article abstracts, particularly with respect to their synchronic variations and diachronic developments. Using a corpus-based approach, this study investigates the syntactic complexity of English-language abstracts from Chinese and English academic journals over the past two decades. Two balanced corpora were compiled, each comprising 180 abstracts from six English journals and 180 abstracts from six Chinese journals. Data were analyzed using 14 measures spanning five syntactic dimensions in the L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer. The results revealed both synchronic differences and diachronic changes in syntactic complexity:(1) Significant differences were observed in the length of production units, amount of subordination, amount of coordination, and degree of phrasal sophistication between abstracts from Chinese and English journals;(2) English journal abstracts exhibited significant diachronic changes in the mean length of T-unit, coordinate phrases per T-unit, and complex nominals per T-unit;(3) Chinese journal abstracts showed significant diachronic changes in the mean clause length, T-units per sentence, and clauses per sentence. These findings have implications for research and pedagogy in academic writing, offering insights into evolving patterns of syntactic complexity and informing strategies for abstract composition in both native and non-native English contexts.
2024年02期 34-51页 [查看摘要][在线阅读][下载 781K]