Tần suất sử dụng từ phái sinh trong bài viết tranh luận của sinh viên chuyên ngữ tiếng Anh và mối liên hệ với vốn từ vựng

Tóm tắt

Derived words play a crucial role in the development of English vocabulary and skills for English as a foreign language (EFL) students. However, few studies have investigated the use of derived words in the writing of language learners in relation with their vocabulary size, especially in the Vietnamese tertiary context. This article thus explores the frequency of use of derived words in argumentative essays by Vietnamese English-majored university students according to Bauer and Nation’s (1993) framework. The collected data comprised 73 argumentative essays written by 73 second-year English majors at a university in Vietnam and their vocabulary breadth test scores. The results revealed that derived words in students’ essays accounted for about 10% of the total words. In addition, the more English vocabulary students had, the more they tended to use derivatives in their essays. In light of these findings, the paper discusses important pedagogical implications for developing students’ vocabulary and enhance their use of derived words in EFL writing.