Analysis of noun + noun sequences in discipline-specific published research articles
type: CreativeWork
description: Nouns as nominal pre-modifiers (e.g., agency relationships) are considered one component of grammatical complexity in writing (Biber et al., 2011). Previous research has primarily focused on how the frequency of noun+noun sequences vary across disciplines (Gray, 2015). However, there is a lack of research documenting other characteristics of noun+noun sequences in discipline-specific writing and no pedagogical list of noun+noun sequences. This study aimed to explore the use of noun+noun sequences in Applied Linguistics, going beyond frequency variation to consider the range, complexity, and functional/semantic characteristics of noun+noun combinations across the disciplines. A methodology is introduced to develop a discipline-specific pedagogical list of noun+noun sequences (NNSL). The study investigated 640 texts (4,744,248 million words) from ApLing corpus stratified across eight sub-disciplines (pragmatics, CALL, SLA, assessment, ESP, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, pronunciation). Python scripts were developed to calculate the frequency and range of noun+noun sequences. Frequent noun+noun sequences (normed frequency >= 10 pmw; range = at least in 20 texts; occurred at least in 5 texts in 2 sub-disciplines) were then analyzed according to: a) The semantic types of nouns (following Thompson & Gray, 2021); b) The functional relationship between the head noun and modifying noun (following Biber et al. 1999); and c) The use of morphologically complex nouns. The results of analyzing 216 noun+noun sequences (overall frequency= 91,154) showed that Applied Linguists use noun+noun sequences, as well as nominalizations very commonly. Semantic analysis of the noun+noun sequences showed that abstract nouns are more common as head noun (N2) (e.g., target language), while communication nouns are more common as pre-modifying noun (N1) (e.g., language test). The combinations of semantic categories showed that different combinations are possible. The most common combination…
abstract: Nouns as nominal pre-modifiers (e.g., agency relationships) are considered one component of grammatical complexity in writing (Biber et al., 2011). Previous research has primarily focused on how the frequency of noun+noun sequences vary across disciplines (Gray, 2015). However, there is a lack of research documenting other characteristics of noun+noun sequences in discipline-specific writing and no pedagogical list of noun+noun sequences. This study aimed to explore the use of noun+noun sequences in Applied Linguistics, going beyond frequency variation to consider the range, complexity, and functional/semantic characteristics of noun+noun combinations across the disciplines. A methodology is introduced to develop a discipline-specific pedagogical list of noun+noun sequences (NNSL). The study investigated 640 texts (4,744,248 million words) from ApLing corpus stratified across eight sub-disciplines (pragmatics, CALL, SLA, assessment, ESP, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, pronunciation). Python scripts were developed to calculate the frequency and range of noun+noun sequences. Frequent noun+noun sequences (normed frequency >= 10 pmw; range = at least in 20 texts; occurred at least in 5 texts in 2 sub-disciplines) were then analyzed according to: a) The semantic types of nouns (following Thompson & Gray, 2021); b) The functional relationship between the head noun and modifying noun (following Biber et al. 1999); and c) The use of morphologically complex nouns. The results of analyzing 216 noun+noun sequences (overall frequency= 91,154) showed that Applied Linguists use noun+noun sequences, as well as nominalizations very commonly. Semantic analysis of the noun+noun sequences showed that abstract nouns are more common as head noun (N2) (e.g., target language), while communication nouns are more common as pre-modifying noun (N1) (e.g., language test). The combinations of semantic categories showed that different combinations are possible. The most common combination…
author: Bordbarjavidi, Fatemeh
language: en
date published: 2023-08
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:37:27Z
provider: Iowa State University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Iowa State University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.31274/td-20240329-61