Understanding Development and Proficiency in Writing
Quantitative Corpus Linguistic Approaches

Gives a theoretical and empirical grounding for quantitative corpus linguistic research in first and second language writing development.

Philip Durrant (Author), Mark Brenchley (Author), Lee McCallum (Author)

9781108477628, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 March 2021

340 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2 cm, 0.51 kg

'The book is an essential contribution to Corpus Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, and Theoretical Linguistics, as it presents a bird's eye view of the convoluted topic of writing development for both researchers and practitioners … It then zooms in on each particular developmental unit by breaking down the construct in a systematic and organized way, which is one of the most remarkable features of the book … The book is a worthwhile read and an invaluable resource for all interested in writing development and corpus linguistics.' Hatice Altun, Linguist

Quantitative corpus research on written language development has expanded rapidly in recent years, assisted by the ever-increasing power and accessibility of software capable of reliably analysing huge collections of learner writing. For this work to reach its full potential, it is important that researchers have a strong understanding of its methodological foundations and of the existing empirical evidence base on which it can build. This book provides the most comprehensive discussion to date of research in this area. Covering both first and second language learning contexts, it sets out a coherent theoretical framework and systematically reviews studies published over the last seventy years in order to establish what such research has taught us about written language development, what it hasn't taught us, and what we should do next. Timely and original, this is an essential reference work for academic researchers and students of first and second language writing.

1. Introduction
2. Theoretical and Methodological Foundations
3. Development in Syntax
4. Development in Vocabulary
5. Development in Formulaic Language
6. Development in Cohesion
7. Conclusions
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Writing skills [CJCW], Language teaching & learning [other than ELT CJ], Linguistics [CF]