L2 Syntactical Complexity Analyzer (L2SCA) developed by Xiaofei Lu at the Pennsylvania State University, is a computational tool which produces syntactic complexity indices of written English language texts. Along with Coh-Metrix, the L2SCA is one of the most extensively used computational tools to compute indices of second language writing development. The L2SCA is also widely utilised in the field of corpus linguistics. The L2SCA is available in a single and a batch mode. The first provides the possibility of analyzing a single written text for 14 syntactic complexity indices. The latter allows the user to analyze 30 written texts simultaneously.
Usage Second language writing development The L2SCA has been used in numerous studies in the field of second language writing development to compute indices of syntactic complexity.
Corpus linguistics The L2SCA has also been used in various studies in the field of corpus linguistics.
Indices ConstructIndex1Syntactic structuresWord countW2SentenceS3Verb phraseVP4ClauseC5T-unitT6Dependent clauseDC7Complex T-unitCT8Coordinate phraseCP9Complex nominalCN10Syntactic complexity indicesLength of production unitsMean length of sentenceMLS11Mean length of T-unitMLT12Mean length of clauseMLC13Overall sentence complexityClause per sentenceC/S14Amounts of subordinationClause per T-unitC/T15Complex T-unit ratioCT/T16Dependent clause per clauseDC/C17Dependent clause per T-unitDC/T18Amounts of coordinationCoordinate phrase per clauseCP/C19Coordinate phrase per T-unitCP/T20T-unit per sentenceT/S21Phrasal sophisticationComplex nominal per clauseCN/C22Complex nominal per T-unitCN/T23Verb phrase per T-unitV/T
See also Coh-Metrix
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