Algorithmic Phraseology: AI-Mediated Formulaic Expression in Multilingual Academic Writing

Algorithmic Phraseology: AI-Mediated Formulaic Expression in Multilingual Academic Writing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Algorithmic Phraseology: AI-Mediated Formulaic Expression in Multilingual Academic Writing Mohammad Sharafi, Dancan Mwaghadi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107430/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Artificial intelligence writing tools are slipping into daily classroom life, quietly changing how students write and how people read academic language. This paper calls this shift “algorithmic phraseology”—basically, it means the new, patterned ways people write when they lean on AI for help. The study zooms in on Iranian and Hungarian EFL students. These two groups come from very different worlds, but they’re dealing with the same headaches when it comes to writing essays in English. Students wrote short academic essays, then revised them using an AI tool. Researchers built a bilingual learner corpus from these essays, checking which words showed up a lot, how they were used in context, and the general feel or tone the writing gave off. After using AI, students started to use more standard academic phrases, while their writing lost a bit of its original cultural touch. Still, some of each group’s unique voice stuck around—AI didn’t erase it. The results make it clear: AI tools both support and sift. They help students stretch their academic vocabulary, but at the same time, they smooth out some of the local quirks. So, teaching needs to keep up. Educators should find smart ways to blend AI into instruction and pay close attention to how these tools shape what students say and how they say it, especially when it comes to language and culture in the classroom. Special Education AI-assisted writing algorithmic phraseology formulaic language multilingual academic writing EFL learners cross-cultural discourse. Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9107430","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":605244089,"identity":"44f882c9-930c-4ce9-a964-1e6dd9d80589","order_by":0,"name":"Mohammad Sharafi","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7917-0337","institution":"University of Pecs","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammad","middleName":"","lastName":"Sharafi","suffix":""},{"id":605246240,"identity":"df468c09-629f-4f4e-bf22-6f8578f2f7cf","order_by":1,"name":"Dancan Mwaghadi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Pecs","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dancan","middleName":"","lastName":"Mwaghadi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-12 17:50:29","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":true,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107430/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107430/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104835144,"identity":"2a2213d1-5756-4fdf-9100-035f3873b827","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-17 17:40:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":288590,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Titlenewnewarticle.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9107430/v1_covered_f98d1310-05f3-43b8-ac8c-c35e5d7d2a35.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlgorithmic Phraseology: AI-Mediated Formulaic Expression in Multilingual Academic Writing\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"AI-assisted writing, algorithmic phraseology, formulaic language, multilingual academic writing, EFL learners, cross-cultural discourse.","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107430/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107430/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eArtificial intelligence writing tools are slipping into daily classroom life, quietly changing how students write and how people read academic language. This paper calls this shift \u0026ldquo;algorithmic phraseology\u0026rdquo;\u0026mdash;basically, it means the new, patterned ways people write when they lean on AI for help. The study zooms in on Iranian and Hungarian EFL students. These two groups come from very different worlds, but they\u0026rsquo;re dealing with the same headaches when it comes to writing essays in English. Students wrote short academic essays, then revised them using an AI tool. Researchers built a bilingual learner corpus from these essays, checking which words showed up a lot, how they were used in context, and the general feel or tone the writing gave off. After using AI, students started to use more standard academic phrases, while their writing lost a bit of its original cultural touch. Still, some of each group\u0026rsquo;s unique voice stuck around\u0026mdash;AI didn\u0026rsquo;t erase it. The results make it clear: AI tools both support and sift. 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