A comparative corpus-based study on the use of English Academic Verbs (EAVs) in linguistics research articles on the part of native and non-native English scholars

Abstract

Lexical verbs are crucial in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) due to their undeniable contribution to major EAP functions such as discussing, hypothesising, comparing, or reviewing literature. The present paper intends to provide a comparative corpus-based analysis of how lexical English academic verbs (EAVs) are used in linguistics research articles (RAs), by both native (N) and non-native (NN) English scholars, as well as different linguistic classifications to categorise them in a meaningful manner. The N and NN corpora of study have been exploited with WordSmith Tools, the results showing that, although no significant differences can be appreciated between Ns and NNs, the former tend to use a (slightly) wider range and larger number of EAVs. Results also shed light on usage preferences and differences as regards verb forms1 and classes, as well as on frequency patterns.