A comparison of JEFLLs' and NESs' referential expressions in written English narratives in terms of distribution patterns and referential distance

摘要

This study compares 39 Japanese EFL learners’ (JEFLLs’) and 9 native English speakers’ (NESs’)referential expressions for story characters in written English narratives in terms of distribution patternsand referential distance. It shows that JEFLLs produced pronouns and bare nominals frequently duringL2 English narrative production, whereas it was pronouns and definite nominals that NESs producedfrequently during L1 English narrative production. It also shows that referential distance is a key factorin NESs’ use of referential expressions in narratives, whereas it was not a determining factor in JEFLLs’use of referential expressions in narratives.