国际期刊论文摘要语步的句法复杂度——以应用语言学为例

Investigating Syntactic Complexity across Rhetorical Moves of Abstracts from International Journals——Taking Applied Linguistics as an Example

以海兰德五语步摘要模型为框架,分析200篇应用语言学国际期刊论文摘要的句法复杂度特征。使用的句法复杂度指标包括句长、名词化、限定小句、非限定小句及主句谓语动词前置词数量。结果显示:长句更多用于目的语步,名词化结构更多用于结论语步,限定小句更多用于结果语步,主句谓语动词前置词更多出现在引言和方法语步。总的来说,方法语步倾向于使用多个短小的句式完成,非限定小句的使用在语步间不存在显著差异。研究发现,学者在表达特定修辞功能时使用的语言在句法复杂度方面有一定的倾向性,倾向于使用复杂的句式实现不同的修辞功能。

Based on Hyland's five-rhetorical move model of abstracts,this study examines 200 abstracts from international journals in applied linguistics to investigate the features of syntactic complexity across different rhetorical moves.The syntactic complexity indices investigated in this study refer to sentence length,nominalization,finite dependent clause,nonfinite dependent clause and left-embeddedness.The results reveal that more long sentences are used in the Purpose Move;more nominalizations are used in the Conclusion Move;more finite dependent clauses are used in the Product Move;more left-embedded words are used in the moves of Introduction and Method.Generally speaking,the Method Move tends to be completed with multiple short sentences,and no significant difference is found in the use of nonfinite clauses across five moves.Findings suggest that the language used for specific rhetorical functions has a certain tendency in terms of syntactic complexity.Complex sentence patterns tend to be employed to achieve different rhetorical functions.