A Corpus-Based Collocation Study and Move Patterns in Online Smartphone Press Releases

Abstract

This study is an investigation of fixed expressions or prefabricated adjective and verb collocations that occur in online smartphone press releases (OSPR). OSPR is a sub-genre of the press release. Previous studies reveal that different genres favor different linguistic structures and elements. Collocations of high frequency words in specific genres have indicated a prototypical phraseology. First, this study looked into the corpus-based collocation of adjective+ noun and verb+ noun in 230 OSPRs. Second, the sequences of moves of selected five OSPR were determined. Finally, the purpose(s) of each move was/were identified through adjectives used in each sentence. The findings reveal that while ostensibly informative, press releases also carry an implicitly self-promotional purpose. It is suggested that, for foreign language learners, focusing on collocation patterns within genre may provide a more productive way to study vocabulary. The move patterns found in this study enable learners to be aware of the move sequences in press release writing. Also, recommendations are made on how to use the research findings to improve English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching.