A Coh-Metrix Analysis of Argumentative Essays by Hong Kong ESL, Chinese EFL, and Native Writers

This study investigated how L2 writing differs across English learning contexts by comparing argumentative essays from the ICNALE corpus produced by Hong Kong ESL learners, mainland Chinese EFL learners, and native English speakers. Multi-dimensional analyses of lexical, syntactic, and discourse indices derived from Coh-Metrix revealed distinct characteristics across groups. Both Hong Kong ESL learners and mainland Chinese EFL learners showed a tendency to produce shorter sentences than native speakers and exhibited lower readability scores. Chinese EFL writing was characterized by a greater reliance on basic, concrete vocabulary, reflecting explicit classroom-based instruction within limited input conditions. In contrast, Hong Kong ESL learners demonstrated comparatively native-like syntactic compression and local referential cohesion. They nevertheless retained L1-mediated discourse patterns, as reflected in relatively constrained global referential cohesion and a preference for causal over additive connectives. These findings suggest that distinctions between ESL and EFL contexts are better understood as a continuum of linguistic repertoires related to differences in input frequency and social environments. Pedagogically, the study underscores the need for context-sensitive instruction and suggests that EFL contexts prioritize systematic exposure to diverse discourse types, whereas ESL environments focus on refining implicit knowledge into explicit global strategies to mitigate cross-linguistic influence.