Specificity and generality of lexical bundles in the rhetorical moves of Applied Linguistics research article introductions

Investigating the linguistic realizations of rhetorical moves through lexical bundles is a research area that has recently gained momentum. However, the lack of a fully annotated corpus has impeded the full understanding of the relationship between formulaic sequences and their corresponding moves. Accordingly, this study addressed this lacuna by annotating 1000 Applied Linguistics research article (RA) introductions using a framework developed for the current study to identify bundles characterizing communicative moves that configure introductions. Following a manual move identification of RA introductions, lexical bundles were extracted using AntConc and manually refined. This was followed by systematic identification of their functions in their co-text. Results indicated that some lexical bundles (i.e., move-general) occur in several moves or steps, whereas other bundles (i.e., move-specific) perform distinct discursive functions within each move. In other words, the development of rhetorical moves and bundles within each move is intricately interwoven and collaboratively contributes to developing ideas in the analyzed section. Furthermore, the functional analyses indicated that text-oriented bundles emerged as a strong indicator of the communicative moves of RA introductions, which performed distinct functions within each move. Drawing on key pedagogical insights, findings can serve as an instructional framework for instructors, students, and novice writers.