THE EFFECTS OF VOCABULARY RESOURCE USE ON LEXICAL RICHNESS IN L2 WRITING*

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of dictionary and thesaurus use on lexical sophistication and variation, two of the components of lexical richness in second language (L2) writing. After writing a take-home essay as part of their studies, 27 learners enrolled in an English preparatory program at a state university in Turkey received brief instructions in lexical sophistication and variation. Following the instructions, the learners were asked to revise their essays by using a dictionary and a thesaurus. A comparison of the take-home essays and their revised versions showed that revising take-home essays with the help of vocabulary resources led to a significant increase in lexical sophistication. Significant increases were also found for the measures used for lexical variation, except one of them. The different results obtained for lexical variation will be discussed in relation to the specific characteristics of the lexical measures used.