Acorpus-based Study On Lexical Chunks In English Economic Texts

With the development of cognitive research, it has been found that words are not the only unit in language processing; instead, there exist lexical chunks that are ideal units in both interpretation and production. In the 1980s, the development of corpus linguistics makes it possible to recognize language more objectively. It is found that in human language there exist large quantities of fixed or semi-fixed expressions which are stored as a whole in human brain. These prefabricated expressions or lexical chunks play a very important role not only in the acquisition of language but also help to promote the easy, fluency and idiomaticity of language production. In view of vital role of chunks in language development, it is of great value to undertake studies on the uses of chunks in natural language. At the same time, economic English, as a language of significant feature, has a significant role and influence in the modern social and economic life. However, the corpus-based study on economic English is rare. Therefore, this thesis tries to build a mini-bank (EETC) about English economic texts. Firstly, the author extracts clusters based on the length ranging from 3 to 6 words in EETC by means of software Antconc, selects and determines the lexical chunks according to some criteria; then we follow Altenberg's framework and divide these chunks into three categories according to structure: full clauses, clause constituents and incomplete phrases; finally put an emphasis on the pragmatic functions of each category of lexical chunks. Statistical results show that: three-word chunks come first in number in EETC, while six-word chunks the last; among the three structural types of lexical chunks clause constituents are the most frequently used type, accounting for more than 70% and showing the significance of this type of chunks in English economic texts; the structures of lexical chunks are various and pragmatic functions are quite rich in English economic texts. These research findings will give some reference value to learn and study economic English.The thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter one reviews the literature of lexical chunks and applications of corpora in economic English study. Chapter two is the rationale, which includes the terminology and definition, classification and functions of them. Chapter three concerns the research methodology, which includes data collection, research questions, instrument and research procedures. Chapter four is about the statistical description of the research results and the analysis about the results.It comes to the point to draw the conclusion. The author first gives a brief summary of the discoveries and significance obtained from the research, then the problems or limitations in this research are explored by the author, in the end the author suggests the future research orientation as well.