A Study On Linguistic Accuracy And Complexity In English Writing

As a linguistic productive output, writing ability is the most complex and difficult to develop in teaching process. Recently, English writing has attracted much more attention from researchers. Linguistic accuracy and complexity are metrics to measure proficiency of English writing. Characteristics of linguistic accuracy and complexity in English writing of EFL learners at different proficiency levels can faithfully reflect the developmental trajectories of learners at different levels. The underlying factors behind the changes are also valuable for further exploration.The present study is conducted longitudinally to investigate changes of linguistic accuracy and complexity in English writing of three Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels. Three students from Navigation College of Dalian Maritime University are involved in the research for24weeks. Till the end of the research,45English essays and nine interview radio pieces have been collected. With the examination of characteristics with regard to linguistic accuracy and complexity in English writing and analysis of interviews collected, the researcher investigated the influencing factors behind the changes with qualitative and quantitative methods.Results indicate that accuracy and complexity of vocabulary, together with accuracy and complexity of grammar of three learners at different proficiency levels reveal different changing and nonlinear characteristics. The influencing factors related to changes are divided into internal factors and external factors. Internal factors include language aptitude, motivation of learners, attention, anxiety, learning strategies and language attitudes. External factors cover time devoted in L2learning, language learning environment and teacher feedback. All the factors interact with each other to promote linguistic accuracy and complexity in written English.Finally, pedagogical implications are provided for related studies and teaching in College English writing course in the future.