Longitudinal development of L2 learners’ linguistic complexity in reading-to-write argumentative tasks

Abstract

This study investigates the longitudinal development of linguistic complexity in the reading-to-write argumentative tasks finished by 30 second language (L2) learners over one semester. Following recent trends in L2 linguistic complexity studies, the current study examines the longitudinal development of both large-grained and fine-grained syntactic complexity and lexical complexity indices, as well as the interactions between these indices. The results demonstrate simultaneous increases in both syntactic and lexical complexity, characterized by a concurrent rise in the use of complex nominals (particularly pre-modifiers) and sophisticated vocabulary. The qualitative data further indicate that the advanced nouns and nominal structures present in the input texts are key factors in the development of linguistic complexity in integrated writing. Our findings provide additional empirical evidence for the learning potential of reading-to-write argumentative tasks and demonstrate the important role of input texts in scaffolding writing. They also have implications for incorporating reading-to-write tasks and modifying reading materials to meet teaching requirements in academic writing pedagogy.