A register approach to Estonian EFL learners’ university writing
A register approach to Estonian EFL learners’ university writing

Summary/Abstract: The present study assesses the alleged informality of academic texts written by Estonian learners of English, which to date has yet to be empirically tested. It relies on the purpose-built Tartu Corpus of Estonian Learner English and applies Multidimensional Analysis (MDA) to situate the Estonian EFL learner texts relative to other spoken and written registers and L1 English university writing. In addition, the study describes the linguistic features characteristic of Estonian EFL learners’ writing in higher education. The MDA indicates that although there are some differences between learner and L1 English university writing, the two data samples are similar and align on several dimensions with the written register of academic prose. At the same time, the differences between learner production and L1 English professional writing imply that Estonian students of English would benefit from more explicit instructions to raise their language and register awareness in terms of academic writing in English.

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