中国英语学习者书面语复杂性的动态发展

Dynamic Development in L2 Written Complexity of Chinese EFL Learners

基于复杂动态系统理论,本研究追踪了两名中国英语学习者一个学期以来书面语复杂性的发展轨迹,探讨了句法复杂性与词汇复杂性之间的关系。研究采用动态分析(极值图、移动相关性和变点分析)对四个语言指标(T-unit平均长度、小句平均长度、每T-unit小句数和Voc D)以及不同子系统之间的相互作用进行探究,直观地反映各子系统的发展过程和变异性。研究结果表明:首先,语言发展是动态、非线性的,两名被试的书面语发展伴有不同程度的变异性和个体差异;其次,句法复杂性与词汇复杂性之间存在相互作用,其中被试Jenny呈竞争性关系,被试Helen由初期的竞争性关系转变为后期的支持性关系。研究结果进一步加深了对学习者书面语复杂性发展的理解,对英语写作教学具有一定的指导意义。

The present study investigated the developmental trajectories of written language of two Chinese EFL learners in terms of complexity over one semester and explored the relationship between syntactic complexity and lexical complexity under the framework of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory(CDST).The data were processed using dynamic analyses(min-max graphs,moving correlations and Change-point analysis)to visualize the developmental process and variability of each subsystem of complexity with 4 measures(mean length of T-unit,mean length of clause,clauses per T-unit and VocD)and interactions between different subsystems.The results showed,first,that different subsystems of written language complexity developed dynamically and nonlinearly with different degrees of variability,and varied in the two participants.Second,interactions existed between syntactic complexity and lexical complexity,which shaped as competitors for Jenny but as connected growers for Helen.The results further deepened the understanding of the development in learners’written complexity,providing significant implications for EFL writing teaching.