A Corpus-based Study On The Use Of Shell Nouns In English Abstracts Of Masters' Theses By Science And Engineering Majors

This study concentrates on the features of shell nouns used in English abstracts of theses written by Chinese graduates majoring in science and technology.Shell nouns are recognized as abstract nouns that can be used to package the preceding information or anticipate the succeeding propositions in discourse.Based on the two corpora,Written English Corpus of Chinese Science and Engineering Majors-English for Academic Purposes(WECCSEM-EAP)and Written English Corpus of English Science and Engineering Majors-English for Academic Purposes(WECESEM-EAP),the author of this study conducts a comparative analysis to examine the similarities and differences between Chinese Science and Engineering Majors(CSEMs)and English Science and Engineering Majors(ESEMs),in their uses of shell nouns realized in lexico-grammatical patterns.Besides,the semantic and functional features of shell nouns in academic discourse for science and technology are also explored in this thesis.By the identification of high-frequency shell nouns and the examination of frequency distribution of these shell nouns as well as their lexico-grammatical patterns,this thesis investigates the structural features of certain shell nouns used in English abstracts of masters‘ theses by Science and Engineering Majors(SEMs).Results indicate that shell nouns in academic written English for science and technology bear some distinctive stylistic features.Genre-based and register-specific shell nouns have emerged in such discourse in large numbers.Additionally,in respect of the choice of shell nouns,CSEMs and ESEMs show different preferences for the use of register-specific shell nouns as well as the singular or plural form of shell nouns.Nevertheless,no significant difference can be observed in the holistic frequency of shell nouns between the two corpora,which suggests that Chinese advanced English learners have equipped themselves with the consciousness of using certain shell nouns in English academic writing.Problems like the overuse and underuse of certain shell nouns can be noted in Chinese students‘ abstracts and some of these problems can be ascribed to the influence of first language transfer.Similar features can be noted in the frequency distribution of shell nouns realized in variant lexico-grammatical patterns in the two corpora.?Shell noun + postnominal clause?,?shell noun + be/V + complementing clause? and ?referring item + shell noun? are prevalent constructions in academic discourse for science and technology.Furthermore,four fundamental functions performed by shell nouns,namely,semantic characterization,temporary concept formation,the use of shell nouns as cohesive devices and the use of shell nouns as stance markers,are also examined in this study.With regard to the semantic features of shell nouns,the semantic options of shell nouns by CSEMs turn out to be less multi-layering,which,to a certain extent,manifests Chinese EFL learners‘ lack of lexical capacity.The cognitive function of shell nouns is fulfilled by encapsulating complex chunks of information into temporary nominal concepts.Also,shell nouns play a pivotal role in within-clause and across-clause cohesion by either performing anaphoric function or cataphoric function.The evaluative function of shell nouns is conveyed by the construction of authorial stances.Both groups of writers tend to utilize epistemic stance markers more frequently and use attitudinal stance markers less frequently.The fore-mentioned findings render some theoretical and pedagogical implications for English for Academic Purposes(EAP)instruction and English for Specific Purposes(ESP)instruction.