A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF MAJOR CLAUSE PATTERNS IN ENGLISH AND ROMANIAN BUSINESS TEXTS
A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF MAJOR CLAUSE PATTERNS IN ENGLISH AND ROMANIAN BUSINESS TEXTS

Summary/Abstract: The understanding and correct application of the principles and rules that govern the order of words in the clause are important elements in the development of students’ writing skills. However, while the overarching principles of word order tend to remain valid across different languages, the particular rules that apply to the placement of specific words and phrases in the clause can vary extensively, resulting in interference phenomena between languages. Although both in English and in Romanian word order is governed by some general principles regarding information flow, weight distribution, focus and emphasis, the placement of the core elements of the clause is more strictly regulated in English than in Romanian. This situation can lead to incorrect or marked choices in the production of English texts by Romanian students.The present paper analyses the main clause patterns used in a corpus of Romanian and English business texts, and discusses the findings from the perspective of the similarities and differences existing between the grammars of the two languages in question. In detail, we discuss the combination of clause elements such as verbs, subjects, objects, adverbials and predicatives, and the importance of these structural patterns for the study of Business English.

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