Unveiling the Academic Vocabulary of Sustainable Development Goal-Research Papers
A Comprehensive Lexical Multidimensional Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17851/2237-2083.32.4.1045-1065Keywords:
lexical multidimensional analysis, research papers, english for academic purposes, sustainable development goalsAbstract
Since the United Nations Agenda 2030 was set up, many countries have worked to find solutions to interconnected global issues such as hunger, poverty, education and sustainability just to mention a few. After the striking of COVID-19 pandemic, the world witnessed researchers gathering around in an international effort to find solutions to the problems previously pointed out. In order to describe the lexis used in research papers discussing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we compiled a 2 million-word corpus from the PLOs platform with the AntCorGen program using the query term “Sustainable Development Goal”. After that, we part of speech-tagged the corpus using the Tree-tagger of Sketch Engine in order to carry out a lexical multidimensional analysis (LMDA). Our aim was to (i) identify the major dimensions of variation based on the lexico-grammatical characteristics in research papers published in English by international researchers and (ii) observe how the SDG themes stand out in the study corpus. Results showed six dimensions that were named according to the words concentrated in each one: Government Actions, Presenting Results, Data Interpretation, Data Presentation, Data Quality, Research Procedure. The first dimension is the one that best illustrates a theme related to the SDGs whereas the other five dimensions clearly show the lexis that illustrates how researchers describe their own articles.
References
ABREU-E-LIMA, D. P. M.; MORAES FILHO, W. B. ; NICOLAIDES, C.; QUEVEDO-CAMARGO, G. ; SANTOS, E. M. Idiomas sem Fronteiras - Internacionalização da Educação Superior e formação de professores de língua estrangeira. 1. ed. Belo Horizonte: Editora UFMG, 2021. v. 1. 287p.
ANTHONY, L. AntCorGen (Version 1.1.2) [Computer Software]. Tokyo, Japan: Waseda University, 2019. Available at https://www.laurenceanthony.net/software/antcorgen/
ASENCIÓN-DELANEY, Y.; COLLENTINE, J. A multidimensional analysis of a written L2 Spanish corpus. Applied linguistics, Oxford, v. 32, n.3, p. 299-322, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amq053
BAUMVOL, L. K. ; SARMENTO, S. . A internacionalização em Casa e o uso de inglês como meio de instrução. In: BECK, M. S.; MORITZ, M. E.; MARTINS, M. L. M. ; HEBERLE, V. (orgs.). Echoes: Further Reflections on Language and Literature. 1ed. Florianópilis: UFSC, 2016, v. 1. p. 65-82.
BERBER SARDINHA, A. P. Uso de corpora na formação de tradutores. Delta: documentação de estudos em lingüística teórica e aplicada, São Paulo, v. 19, n. 2, p. 43-70, 2003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-44502003000300005
BERBER SARDINHA, T.. Lingüística de corpus. Barueri: Editora Manole Ltda, 2004.
BERBER SARDINHA, T. A corpus-based history of Applied Linguistics. Apresentação de Trabalho. Associação Internacional de Linguística Aplicada (AILA), Rio de Janeiro, 2017.
BERBER SARDINHA, T. Corpus linguistics and the study of social media. In: O’Keefe, Anne; McCarthy, Mike. (orgs.). The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics. V.1. 2ed.Londres: Routledge, 2022. p. 656-674.
BERBER SARDINHA, T. Corpus linguistics and historiography: Finding the major discourses in the first 50 years of TESOL Quarterly. Journal of Research Design and Statistics in Linguistics and Communication Science, v.7, n.1, p.S73–S94, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/jrds.18538
BERBER SARDINHA, T.; KAUFFMANN, C.H.; ACUNZO, C. A multidimensional analysis of register variation in Brazilian Portuguese. Corpora, v.9, n.2, p. 239-271, 2014.DOI: https://doi.org/10.3366/cor.2014.0059
BERBER SARDINHA, T. B.; PINTO, M. V. (eds.). Multi-dimensional analysis: Research methods and current issues. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.
BIBER, D. Variation across speech and writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
BIBER, D.; HARED, M. Dimensions of register variation in Somali. Language Variation and Change, Cambridge, v.4, n.1, p. 41-75, 1992. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095439450000065X
BIBER, D. Variation in English: Multi-dimensional studies. London: Pearson, 2001.
BURSTEIN, R., WANG, H., R. Jr, R. C.;HAY, S. I. Development and validation of a new method for indirect estimation of neonatal, infant, and child mortality trends using summary birth histories. PLoS medicine, San Francisco, v.15, n.10, e1002687, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002687.
CHARLES, M. ‘Proper vocabulary and juicy collocations’: EAP students evaluate do-it-yourself corpus-building. English for Specific Purposes, Amsterdam, v.31, n.2, p. 93-102, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2011.12.003
CORDEIRO, C. M. A corpus-based approach to understanding market access in fisheries and aquaculture international business research: A systematic literature review. Aquaculture and Fisheries, Amsterdam, v. 4, n. 6, p. 219-230, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaf.2019.06.001.
COXHEAD, A. A new academic word list. TESOL quarterly, Alexandria, v.34, n.2, p.213-238, 2000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3587951.
DELFINO, M. C. N. Análise multidimensional: os números na Linguística. Cadernos de Linguística, Campinas v. 2, n. 4, e474, 2021. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1976-8725
DELFINO, M. C.; ARAÚJO, R. F.; BERBER SARDINHA, T. Revista brasileira de Linguística Aplicada: multidimensões temáticas. In: FINATTO, M. J.B.; REBECHI, R. R.; SARMENTO, S.; BOCORNY, A. E. P. (orgs.). Linguística de Corpus: Perspectivas. 01ed.Porto Alegre: Instituto de Letras da UFRGS, 2018. p. 93-124.
DUTRA, D. P.; NUNES, L. P.; ORFANÒ, B. M. ; ARRUDA, C. F. B. Institutional internationalisation through academic literacies in English: teaching and learning written genres in the Brazilian higher education context. The Especialist (PUCSP), São Paulo, v. 40, p. 1-14, 2019.
FINARDI, K. R.; GUIMARÃES, F. F.. Internacionalização, rankings e publicações em inglês: a situação do Brasil na atualidade. Estudos em Avaliação Educacional, São Paulo, v. 28, n. 68, p. 600-626, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18222/eae.v28i68.4564
FLOWERDEW, J.; PEACOCK, M. Research Perspectives on English for Academic Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
GARDNER, D.; DAVIES, M. A new academic vocabulary list. Applied linguistics, Oxford, v.35, n.3, 305-327, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amt015
GIMENEZ, T. et al. Guide to English as a medium of instruction in Brazilian Higher Education institutions 2018-2019. [S. l.]: FAUBAI, 2018. Disponível em: http://faubai.org.br/britishcouncilfaubaiguide2018.pdf. Access on Dec. 2024.
HYLAND, K.; HYLAND, F. Feedback on second language students’ writing. Language teaching, Cambridge, v.39, n.2, p.83-101. 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444806003399
HYLAND, K.; SHAW, P. (eds.). The Routledge handbook of English for academic purposes. London: Routledge, 2016
International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base. Elsevier UK´s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), 2026.
JENKINS, J. Global Englishes: A resource book for students. Routledge, 2014.
JENKINS, J.; LEUNG, C. English as a lingua franca. The companion to language assessment, Hoboken, v,4, p.1607-1616, 2014.
JENKINS, C. N., ALVES, M. A. S.; UEZU, A.; VALE, M. M. Patterns of vertebrate diversity and protection in Brazil. PloS one, San Francisco, v.10, n.12, e0145064, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0145064
JODOIN, J.; SINGER, J. Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development in English as a Foreign Language: An Analysis of the Image-Text Interplay Found in EFL Textbooks in Japanese Higher Education. In: LEAL FILHO, W. et al. (org.)Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development. Springer, Cham p. 545-565, 2020. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_34
KARPENKO-SECCOMBE, T. Academic writing with corpora: A resource book for data-driven learning. Routledge, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429059926
KILGARRIFF,, A. et al. The Sketch Engine: ten years on. Lexicography, Berlin, v. 1, n. 1, p. 7–36, 1 jul. 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40607-014-0009-9.
KLAES, C.; SCHNEEGANS, S.; SCHÖNER, G.; GAIL, A. Sensorimotor learning biases choice behavior: a learning neural field model for decision making. PLoS computational biology, San Francisco, v.8, n.11,e1002774, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002774.
NESSELHAUF, N. Collocations in a learner corpus. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing, 2005.
PÉREZ-PAREDES, P. Corpus Linguistics for Education: A Guide for Research. Abingdon: Routledge, 2020.
PHILLIPS, C.; HOENIGMAN, R.; HIGBEE, B.; REED, T. Understanding the sustainability of retail food recovery. PLOS one, San Francisco, v.8, n.10, e75530, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075530
PINTO, P. T.; GARCIA, D. N. M.; SANTOS, D. C. Ações de internacionalização para o ensino e a pesquisa na área de línguas. Fórum linguístico, Florianópolis. v. 18, n. 1, p. 5618-5630, 2021a. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5007/1984-8412.2021.e72639
PINTO, P. T.; DE CAMARGO, D. C.; SERPA, T.; DA SILVA, L. F. Analysing the behaviour of academic collocations in a corpus of research-papers: a data-driven study. Revista de Estudos da Linguagem, Belo Horizonte [S. l.], v. 29, n. 2, p. 1229–1252, 2021b. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17851/2237-2083.29.2.1229-1252
PINTO, P. T.; REES, G. P.; FRANKENBERG-GARCIA, A. Identifying collocation issues in English L2 research article writing. In: CHARLES, M.; FRANKENBERG-GARCIA, A. (eds) Corpora in ESP/EAP writing instruction. New York: Routledge, 2021c. p. 147-170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003001966
PINTO, P. T. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) words ‘poverty’ and ‘sustainability’ in the brazilian research: a preliminary thematic corpus-based analysis. Cadernos de Linguística, [S. l.], v. 2, n. 4, p. e440, 2021a. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25189/2675-4916.2021.v2.n4.id440
PINTO, P. T. A multidimensional analysis of research papers on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) (2021b). 22 InPLA - Linguagem e Interfaces - aproximações e distanciamentos. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2021b.
RAMANADHAN, S.; SALHI, C.; ACHILLE, E.; BARIL, N., D’ENTREMONT, K.; GRULLON, M.; VISWANATH, K. Addressing cancer disparities via community network mobilization and intersectoral partnerships: a social network analysis. PloS one, San Francisco, v.7, n.2, e32130, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0032130.
SACHS, J. D. From millennium development goals to sustainable development goals. The Lancet, London, v.379, n.9832, p.2206-2211, 2012.
SARMENTO, S.; THIAGO, E. M. C. P.; ANDREOTTI, V. O. Science without Borders – An alternative framework for evaluation. Interfaces Brasil/Canadá, São Paulo, v.16, n. 1, 2016. p. 40-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15210/interfaces.v16i1.7760
SINCLAIR, J. Corpus, Concordance, Collocation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.
SWALES, J. M. Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
TÖRÖ, T. Cooperation or Aid? A Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis of Finland’s Development Policy, 2020. Dissertation (Master’s in English Studies) — Faculty of Culture and Society, Malmö University, Malmö, 2020. Available at: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-22715. Accessed on: [April 9th, 2025].
VALVASON, E. The semantics of sustainable development: A corpus-assisted, ecological analysis of discourse across languages. 228 f. Thesis (PhD in Linguistic Sciences) — Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Pavia, Pavia, 2021. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/11571/1438355. Accessed on: [April 9th, 2025].
VIANA, V.; TAGNIN, S. E. O. Corpora no ensino de línguas estrangeiras. São Paulo Cidade: Hub Editorial, 2011.
YANG, D.; LUO, T.; LIN, T., QIU, Q.; LUO, Y.. Combining aesthetic with ecological values for landscape sustainability. Plos one, San Francisco, v.9, n.7, e102437, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102437
YE, F.; DENG, Q. Strategies for poverty alleviation supply chain with government subsidies and misreporting behavior in China. Plos one, San Francisco, v.16, n.7, e0253761, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253761
WANG, J. H. Happiness and Social Exclusion of Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan-A Social Sustainability Perspective. PLoS One, San Francisco, v.10, n.2, e0118305, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118305
