a corpus-based study of the use of lexical bundles in eap texts by iranian efl and esl learners

Research on native vs. non-native formulaic language use in academic texts, despite its wealth in scope and frequency, lacks an inclusive conceptualization of a non-native language learning context. impressed by such a flawed approach, the bulk (if not all) of studies in the field compared the use of different multi-word strings in the academic discourse of either foreign or second language learners with a native baseline. the current study sought to address the gap, focusing on the structural and functional use of lexical bundles in two culturally parallel corpora developed in two non-native learning context modes: english as a foreign (efl) and second (esl) language. to this end, research reports written by iranian applied linguistics ma and ph.d. learners studying in different universities in iran and english-speaking provinces of canada were compared by a structurally similar native corpus, running cross-tabulation, chi-square, and residual analysis analyses. the results revealed a significant association between language learning context and lexical bundle use on a functional level. the contextual variations yielded significantly different patterns of use concerning several micro-functions underlying text-oriented and research-oriented functions. compared to functional differences, the between-corpus structural differences were inconspicuous, specifically concerning micro-structures constituting noun, prepositional, and verb phrase-related bundles. the study embraced the notion that efl writers need to have immense exposure and enhanced language input available in esl and native learning contexts to foster a native-like formulaic language.