This study investigated the relationship between lexical richness in L2 writing and overall L2 proficiency.Three measures of lexical richness were identified and operationalized,i.e.lexical density,lexical sophistication and lexical diversity.The study collected 48 sets of texts written by learners at different proficiency levels from the ICNALE(International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English),and the learner texts were analyzed for lexical richness using a web-based lexical complexity analyzer.The quantitative analysis revealed a lack of significant difference in lexical richness between different proficiency levels.Relevant pedagogical implications were discussed.
As a form of speaking practice,small-group discussion can be effective in that it makes learners less anxious about expressing themselves.Being topic-based,small-group discussion prepares learners for a wide range of topics and requires them to think critically.Language skills and communicative skills are honed during discussions.These advantages validate the effectiveness of small-group discussion as a form of speaking practice and entail proper execution in classes.
