A Study on Linguistic Features of Chinese ESL and EFL Learners’ Writing: A Learning Context Perspective

English learning contexts are typically categorized as English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). ESL pertains to English acquisition in regions where it is an official language, while EFL refers to contexts where it is not. Although previous research has examined written language differences among learners in L1 and L2 settings, most studies have focused on monolingual L2 contexts, with limited attention to bilingual environments like Hong Kong. This comparative study investigates the compositions of Chinese ESL students from senior secondary schools in Hong Kong and their EFL counterparts from Mainland of China, aiming to identify differences in linguistic features and influencing factors. The analysis of persuasive writing performance utilizes measures of lexical richness and syntactic complexity across 10 dimensions: lexical diversity, sophistication, density, syntactic complexity, accuracy, writing fluency, connective ratio, content word overlap, and latent semantic analysis. Results indicate significant differences in six indicators. Mainland students excel in lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and syntactic accuracy, reflecting superior mastery of vocabulary and syntax. In contrast, Hong Kong students outperform in lexical accuracy, writing fluency, and content word overlap, highlighting their strengths in diction, lexical appropriateness, and readability. These findings underscore the varying impacts of official curriculum requirements, vocabulary and sentence structure instruction, and writing pedagogies in these distinct learning contexts.