CROSS-LINGUISTIC PATTERNS IN ACADEMIC WRITING: THE ROLE OF LEXICAL CHUNKS IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH ESSAYS
CROSS-LINGUISTIC PATTERNS IN ACADEMIC WRITING: THE ROLE OF LEXICAL CHUNKS IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH ESSAYS

Summary/Abstract: This case study examines the use of lexical chunks in German and English academic essays written by two Romanian students enrolled in an English-German undergraduate program. By combining corpus analysis and qualitative interviews, the study investigates the differences and similarities in chunk usage across the two languages, as well as the influence of language proficiency and academic conventions on student writing. The results reveal that, despite higher proficiency in English, the students showed a tendency to use lexical chunks in their English texts, suggesting that chunk usage is influenced by more than just linguistic competence. In contrast, German academic writing featured more structured and formulaic chunk use, particularly in conclusion sections, reflecting differences in academic conventions. Furthermore, the study identifies linguistic transfer phenomena, with students unconsciously incorporating German writing patterns into their English essays, resulting in nonnative-sounding constructions. The interviews further reveal the impact of self-confidence, writing habits, and institutional expectations on students’ academic writing strategies.

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