Explorations in Lexical Repetition Analysis: The Outcomes of Manual vs. Computer Automated Research Methods

Abstract

This paper describes two exploratory studies applying Károly’s (2002) theory-based discourse analytical framework, whose pedagogically oriented taxonomy and methodological procedures were originally devised to investigate the text-structuring role of lexical repetition in a Hungarian EFL academic context. The first study consists of entirely manually conducted data collection and analysis, whereas the second study – in both of its stages – uses computer assistance. The latter study poses particular problems that are recorded with a view to possible future automation. The application of the analytical framework was also extended from argumentative essays to summaries and comparison-and-contrast essays. Results reveal that the analytical tool is capable of extracting rich data in the newly investigated genres, too. Further research is necessary, however, into the application of the tool for large corpora.