Abstract

LEIVA-QUIROZ, Pilar. Development of lexical complexity: nominal abstraction and metaverb production in argumentative texts written by chilean students. Forma. func. [online]. 2024, vol.37, n.1, e6571.  Epub Nov 11, 2023. ISSN 0120-338X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/fyf.v37n1.106571.

The present study focuses on determining the effect of age on the development of lexical complexity, through two measures: nominal abstraction and the use of metacognitive and metalinguistic verbs, in argumentative texts written by Chilean students of three school levels. From the manual analysis of 24 texts and the application of a one-factor Anova design, it was established that the lexical complexity of metaverbs varies due to age/educational level, while the use of abstract nouns does not express a significant difference. Among the main findings, it is possible to mention the interaction between the argumentative discourse genre and the types of nouns and metaverbs present in the corpus. The conclusions suggest the potential impact of Covid-19 confinement on the linguistic development of the participants, which would be worth studying with a larger sample, in order to establish strategies for improving lexical competence.

Keywords : writing development; lexical complexity; nominal abstraction; metaverbs; argumentative genre.

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