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Development of a Neurology Word List: A Corpus-based Study

Language and Cognitive Science / 2021,6(1): 44−59 / 2022-04-21 722 761

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• Authors: Mingxian      Li²,      Yujun      Lee¹      and      Dilin      Liu³     
• Information:

  1.  Key Library of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China; Foreign Language and Culture Department, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China; 
  2.  College of Foreign Languages, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China;
  3. Department of English, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

• Keywords: academic English; English for specific purposes; subdiscipline word list; vocabulary learning
• Abstract: The research finding that vocabulary use is often discipline-bound (Hyland and Tse 2007) has demonstrated the need for discipline-specific word lists. Driven by this need, this study aims to explore the viability and validity of developing a subdiscipline word list – a vocabulary list in neurology, a subdiscipline of medicine. A neurology corpus (NeuroC) of 6,180,718 words was compiled drawing from 970 neurological research articles systematically chosen from 10 journals. Using AntConc and AntWordProfiler as corpus tools and applying rigorous frequency and range criteria, the study selects a total of 717 words as our Neurology Word List (NeuroWL). To test the validity of the NeuroWL, the coverages of the NeuroC by the NeuroWL and by Coxhead’s AWL are calculated and compared. The results reveal that the coverage by the NeuroWL (12.99%) almost doubles that by Coxhead’s Academic Word List (AWL) (6.06%). Additional analyses indicate that the NeuroWL shows an overlap of only 32.4% with the AWL, 53.6% with Wang et al.’s (2008) Medical Academic Word List (MAWL), and 43.9% with Yang’s (2015) Nursing Academic Word List (NAWL). These findings testify to the validity of the NeuroWL and its pedagogical significance to ESP/EFL teachers/learners in neurology and the need for developing subdiscipline word lists.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.35534/lcs.0601003
• Cite:

  Mingxian Li，Yujun Lee，Dilin Liu．Development of a Neurology Word List: A Corpus-based Study［J］．Language and Cognitive Science，2021，6（1）：44−59．