Abstract :
The study of lexical bundles, which are also referred to as fixed phrases, chunks, clusters, and multi-word expressions, has garnered significant attention in both written and spoken academic discourse. Previous research has primarily concentrated on the use of lexical bundles in various registers and disciplines within written discourse, with fewer studies exploring their use in spoken discourse. This current study aimed to examine the forms and functions of frequent lexical bundles in inspirational and scientific TED talks, using a two-phase approach: qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative phase involved the classification of lexical bundles based on their structure and function. In the quantitative phase, the frequency and comparative analysis of lexical bundles across scientific and inspirational TED talks were conducted. The research instrument employed for this study is Antconc 4.2.2, which enabled the identification of four-word lexical bundles occurring at least ten times in at least five different texts. To investigate the role of lexical bundles, Biber et al. (2004) functional taxonomy comprising stance bundles, discourse organizers, and referential expressions, was used. The study demonstrated that there were relatively more lexical bundles identified in scientific TED talks compared to inspirational ones. The results indicated that regarding the functional taxonomy, scientific and inspirational TED Talks exhibited varying patterns of usage. Referential expressions were found to be more prevalent in scientific and inspirational TED Talks. Notably, the inspirational sub-corpus displayed a significantly higher frequency of stance expressions compared to the science sub-corpus. Conversely, the science sub-corpus showed greater utilization of referential expressions, discourse organizers, and specialized lexical bundles. Regarding structural taxonomy, the science sub-corpus predominantly employed verb-phrase fragments. In contrast, the inspirational sub-corpus primarily utilized noun-phrase/preposition fragments. The findings of this study can assist speaking instructors utilize corpus-driven instruction to focus on lexical bundles and enhance language learners' public speaking abilities.
