Uses of the Light Verb GET in Chinese EFL Learners’ and English L1 Undergraduates’ Writing: A Corpus-Pattern-Analysis-Based Investigation

Abstract

In order to facilitate the instruction and acquisition of EFL writing, this paper compares the uses of the light verb get in English writing by Chinese and L1 undergraduates by drawing on insights from the theory of norms and exploitations (TNE). Corpus pattern analysis (CPA) is conducted to analyze the data taken from two comparable corpora of Chinese EFL learners’ and L1 undergraduates’ writing, unveiling both similarities and disparities between the two groups in terms of the patterning of get. Regarding similarities, most of the prototypical patterns identified in the two target corpora are identical, and both corpora show innovative exploitations of norms. In terms of differences, Chinese undergraduates misuses get in their writing in a varied but recognizable way. In addition, Chinese undergraduates are more likely than L1 undergraduates to overuse high-frequency patterns and semantic roles but underuse low-frequency ones, which may result in a lack of diversity in the range of patterns and complements. Chinese undergraduates’ uncertainty of registers is another notable feature in their writing. Based on the findings, the paper further discusses the implications for the teaching and learning of writing in EFL contexts.