3.1.1 Selecting a Research Topic

• What does the language concept of grammar focus on?

  Sentence structures
• Pragmatics examines speech acts, politeness strategies, and implicature
• What does the language concept of grammar primarily examine?

  Sentence structures
• Vocabulary, word formation, and semantic fields are part of the language concept of lexis
• Good research questions should be specific, answerable, and interesting
• Good research questions should be specific, narrow in scope, and not overly broad
• Good research questions should be overly broad to encourage extensive exploration

  False
• Match the language concept with its area of interest:

  Lexis ↔️ Vocabulary, word formation

  Grammar ↔️ Sentence structures, clause types

  Discourse ↔️ Cohesion, coherence, genre conventions

  Pragmatics ↔️ Speech acts, politeness strategies
• Order the steps involved in developing a research project from identifying key concepts to establishing research aims:

  1️⃣ Identify key language concepts

  2️⃣ Explore potential research areas

  3️⃣ Develop relevant research questions

  4️⃣ Evaluate resource availability

  5️⃣ Refine chosen topic

  6️⃣ Establish research aims
• Match the criteria for a good research topic with its description:

  Scope ↔️ Focused and manageable in scale

  Relevance ↔️ Directly addresses a specific language concept

  Feasibility ↔️ Can be investigated with available resources

  Interest ↔️ Sparks intellectual curiosity
• What are the primary areas of interest in phonology?

  Accent, intonation, stress
• The study of vocabulary, word formation, and semantic fields falls under the language concept of lexis
• Selecting an intriguing and manageable topic is crucial for a successful research project.

  True
• What does the study of grammar focus on in language research?

  Sentence structures
• Broad and vague research questions are suitable for an independent language project.

  False
• When developing relevant research questions, it's important to have a focused, manageable topic
• Analytical tools like corpus analysis software are essential for all language research projects

  False
• Phonology examines accent, intonation, and stress patterns in language


  True
• Good research questions should be answerable through data collection and analysis


  True
• Discourse analysis includes cohesion, coherence, and genre conventions
• A focused topic is essential for an independent language research project.


  True
• Cohesion, coherence, and genre conventions are studied in the field of discourse
• Why should research questions be answerable for an independent language project?

  Data collection
• What is the key to developing meaningful research questions for a language project?

  Focused language concept
• When evaluating resource availability, consider whether relevant data sources are sufficient to address the research questions
• Choosing a focused, manageable topic within key language concepts is crucial for a successful research project
• Refer back to language concepts such as lexis, grammar, discourse, phonology, and pragmatics to identify potential research questions
• Refer back to key language concept areas to help identify a focused, feasible research topic