Word Choice in Chinese Students English

Writing and How Online Writing Center

Tutors Respond to Them

Carol Severino and Shih-Ni Prim

Source: The Writing Center Journal, Vol.34, No.2
(Spring/Summer 2015), pp. 115-143
 Introduction-Why Word Choice?
Methodology
Arriving At a Sample of Word Choice Errors
Error Classification
Tutor Response Classification
Results and Discussion
Word Choice Error Results
Chinese-Based or Translation-Based Errors
Second Language or English-Based Errors:
Wrong Context/Synforms/Precision/Idiomaticity/Register Errors
Tutor Response Results
Implications for Tutors and Tutor Educators
Limitations of the Study
Future Research
 Why Word Choice?
Problematic and erroneous word choices were the second most common
problem (Ferris, D.R.,2006).
Less effective, less recursive and more laborious.
Meaning distortion, lack of comprehension and lower evaluation.
Rhetoric vs Grammar/ Higher Order vs Lower Order-ignoring the middle
level of vocabulary.
L2 Writing vs L1 Writing.
The goal of the present study.
Methodology, Results and Discussion
Arriving at a sample of word choice errors-examine and discuss tutors
marginal and in-text comments.
Identify and classify word choice errors-translation from Chinese (18%);
wrong context (37%); synform (14%); idiomaticity (12%);precision (13%); and
register (6%).
Tutor response-correction (48%); question (25%); option (10%); explanation
(12%) and error indication (5%).
Implications for Tutors and Tutor Educators