What should be the frameworks or methodologies to examine written academic ELF? I want to explore the linguistic features of written ELF in research articles.
To examine the linguistic features of written English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in research articles, you can consider the following frameworks and methodologies:
1. Corpus Linguistics Approach:
- Compile a corpus of research articles written by ELF users from different linguistic backgrounds.
- Analyze the corpus using quantitative and qualitative methods to identify patterns, trends, and variations in the linguistic features.
- Examine lexical, grammatical, and discourse-level features, such as word choice, sentence structure, hedging, and cohesive devices.
- Compare the linguistic features of the ELF corpus with those of a corpus of research articles written by native English speakers.
2. Discourse Analysis:
- Adopt a discourse-analytical approach to examine how ELF users construct academic discourse in research articles.
- Investigate the rhetorical strategies, organizational structures, and communicative functions employed in the ELF research articles.
- Analyze how ELF users navigate the conventions and expectations of academic writing in their respective disciplines.
- Explore the role of cultural and linguistic backgrounds in shaping the academic writing practices of ELF users.
3. Genre Analysis:
- Examine the ELF research articles within the framework of genre theory, which focuses on the socio-cultural and rhetorical aspects of text types.
- Identify the common linguistic and discursive features that characterize the genre of research articles written by ELF users.
- Investigate how ELF users adapt and negotiate the genre conventions of research articles to accommodate their linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
- Compare the genre-specific features of ELF research articles with those of research articles written by native English speakers.
4. Sociolinguistic Perspectives:
- Draw on sociolinguistic theories to examine the social, cultural, and ideological factors that influence the use of ELF in academic writing.
- Explore the role of power dynamics, language attitudes, and identity construction in shaping the linguistic choices of ELF users in research articles.
- Investigate the implications of ELF usage in academic writing, such as the negotiation of academic legitimacy and the challenges faced by non-native English speakers.
5. Pragmatic Analysis:
- Analyze the pragmatic aspects of ELF usage in research articles, such as the use of hedging, politeness strategies, and interpersonal communication.
- Examine how ELF users navigate the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic dimensions of academic discourse to achieve their communicative goals.
- Investigate the strategies employed by ELF users to ensure clarity, coherence, and successful communication in the context of research articles.
These frameworks and methodologies can be combined or used individually, depending on the specific research objectives and the scope of your investigation. The choice of approach will depend on your research questions, the available data, and the theoretical perspectives you wish to engage with.