Korean EFL Learners’ Use of I in English Argumentative Writing: Focusing on Genre-specific and Proficiency-specific Characteristics

Abstract

The present study explored Korean EFL learners’ use of the first person singular pronoun, I , in argumentative essays. To examine whether learners’ I differs according to genre and proficiency, the use of I in argumentative writing was compared with personal writing and between learners of low and high proficiency. The frequency, variability, and collocates analyses of I showed that learners used less I s with little variability in argumentative essays, mostly using it to deliver opinions in formulaic expressions or to strengthen arguments with boosters. In terms of proficiency, high-level learners in general used I less often and with more hedges compared to low-level learners, more closely resembling native speakers’ use of I . The study suggests that learners depend on I to express their opinions and achieve the goal of the argumentative genre and that the knowledge of using I effectively in writing is gradually acquired as learners’ proficiency increases.