Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

The Influence of Conceptual Transfer in English Academic Writing: The Evidence from the Use of Prepositions in English Writing by Chinese Students

Xintian LiangDepartment of Foreign Language, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

English academic writing is becoming more and more important nowadays. However, due to the obvious difference between Chinese and English, people are often affected by the influence of conceptual transfer during the process of second language acquisition. This corpus-based study aims to study cross-linguistic conceptual influence (positive or negative) in Chinese undergraduates' use of prepositions in academic writing. The author has built up a corpus from English-majored undergraduates’ academic writing tasks (ZSAC), comparing it to the data from Baseline (CAEC) via Sketch Engine Software to find evidence of cross-linguistic conceptual influence in using prepositions. This study can provide a conceptual framework for second language learners to study function words such as prepositions in a foreign language context and lays a certain theoretical foundation for subsequent research on language transfer. In terms of research methodology, its authentic corpus data and its methodology are conducive to the development of further bilingual researches.

Keywords: Conceptual transfer; English prepositions; Chinese academic writings; Image Schema Theory; Sketch Engine Software
Published: June 9, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2024.23619
Volume: CHR Vol.70
pp. 143-149
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