Araştırma Makalesi

Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora

Cilt: 177 Sayı: 1 30 Haziran 2026
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Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora

Öz

This study investigates developmental differences in lexical richness by comparing lexical density, lexical diversity, and vocabulary frequency distributions in A1 and C2 English texts by beginner and advanced level university students. Using a quantitative corpus-linguistic design, RANGE and Textalyser were employed to examine frequency-band coverage, word-family growth, type–token ratio, lexical density, and readability scores across proficiency levels. The findings reveal clear contrasts in vocabulary sophistication: A1 texts relied overwhelmingly on the most frequent 1,000 words, whereas the C2 corpus demonstrated substantially greater use of List 2 and List 3 vocabulary, including markedly larger inventories of academic and low-frequency word families. Lexical density was higher in A1 texts, reflecting shorter and structurally simpler compositions, while C2 texts exhibited lower density due to increased syntactic elaboration and greater use of function words. Although lexical diversity showed only a modest increase from A1 to C2, this result aligns with known limitations of TTR as a length-sensitive metric. Readability indices further distinguished the two groups, with C2 texts displaying significantly higher complexity. The study highlights frequency-band distribution and word-family expansion as the most sensitive indicators of lexical development and underscores the multidimensional nature of lexical richness in second-language writing.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kaynakça

  1. Coxhead, A. (1998). An academic word list (ELI Occasional Publication No. 18). School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington.
  2. Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213–238. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587951
  3. Coxhead, A. (2011). The Academic Word List ten years on: Research and teaching implications. TESOL Quarterly, 45(2), 355–362. https://doi.org/10.5054/tq.2011.254528
  4. Crossley, S., Heintz, A., Choi, J. S. et al. (2023). A large-scaled corpus for assessing text readability. Behav Res, 55, 491–507. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-022-01802-x
  5. Daller, H., van Hout, R., & Treffers-Daller, J. (2003). Lexical richness in the spontaneous speech of bilinguals. Applied Linguistics, 24(2), 197–222. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/24.2.197
  6. deBoer, F. (2014). Evaluating the comparability of two measures of lexical diversity. System, 47, 139–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.10.008
  7. Engber, C. A. (1995). The relationship of lexical proficiency to the quality of ESL compositions. Journal of Second Language Writing, 4(2), 139–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/1060-3743(95)90004-7
  8. González, M. C. (2013). The intricate relationship between measures of vocabulary size and lexical diversity as evidenced in non-native and native speaker academic compositions (Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Florida).

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Dilbilim (Diğer)

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yayımlanma Tarihi

30 Haziran 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

15 Aralık 2025

Kabul Tarihi

30 Nisan 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Cilt: 177 Sayı: 1

Kaynak Göster

APA
Kurtoğlu, U., & Geçikli, M. (2026). Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora. Dil Dergisi, 177(1), 41-49. https://doi.org/10.33690/dilder.1842291
AMA
1.Kurtoğlu U, Geçikli M. Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora. Dil Dergisi. 2026;177(1):41-49. doi:10.33690/dilder.1842291
Chicago
Kurtoğlu, Utku, ve Merve Geçikli. 2026. “Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora”. Dil Dergisi 177 (1): 41-49. https://doi.org/10.33690/dilder.1842291.
EndNote
Kurtoğlu U, Geçikli M (01 Haziran 2026) Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora. Dil Dergisi 177 1 41–49.
IEEE
[1]U. Kurtoğlu ve M. Geçikli, “Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora”, Dil Dergisi, c. 177, sy 1, ss. 41–49, Haz. 2026, doi: 10.33690/dilder.1842291.
ISNAD
Kurtoğlu, Utku - Geçikli, Merve. “Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora”. Dil Dergisi 177/1 (01 Haziran 2026): 41-49. https://doi.org/10.33690/dilder.1842291.
JAMA
1.Kurtoğlu U, Geçikli M. Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora. Dil Dergisi. 2026;177:41–49.
MLA
Kurtoğlu, Utku, ve Merve Geçikli. “Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora”. Dil Dergisi, c. 177, sy 1, Haziran 2026, ss. 41-49, doi:10.33690/dilder.1842291.
Vancouver
1.Utku Kurtoğlu, Merve Geçikli. Lexical density, diversity, and frequency across proficiency: a corpus-based comparison of A1 and C2 corpora. Dil Dergisi. 01 Haziran 2026;177(1):41-9. doi:10.33690/dilder.1842291