Identifying schematic, conversational and procedural representations of problem-solving language in debating discourse by a learner corpus analysis

Abstract

Problem-solving communication is a crucial competency for university graduates. However, its relationship with debate participation has not been thoroughly examined. This study addresses the existing gap by examining parliamentary debate, a dynamic and increasingly popular impromptu format, to investigate its role in fostering problem-solving language. Using a corpus-based approach, the research analyzes the schematic, conversational, and procedural dimensions of problemsolving language as expressed in parliamentary debate discourse. A learner corpus comprising 751,328 tokens was compiled from 64 transcribed parliamentary debates sourced from the World Universities Debating Championships on YouTube. AntConc software was used to analyze key schematic features, including type token ratio, collocations, standardised frequencies, and concordance lines. The analysis revealed a strong presence of problem-solving language in the debating learner corpus, marked by a high type-token ratio and frequent use of keywords such as problem, need, issue, solution, solve, and fault(s) or drawback(s). These items showed notably high standardised frequencies, and concordance analysis indicated varied rhetorical functions within debate discourse. Genre analysis further identified structured problem-solving sequences typically following the stages of Situation, Problem, Response or Solution, and Evaluation. These rhetorical patterns highlight the conversational and interactive nature of parliamentary debate, which involves diverse argumentative roles such as propositions, oppositions, and Points of Information (POIs). The study provides corpus-based evidence of how problemsolving language is functionally deployed in debate, offering insights into the linguistic dynamics of argumentative communication and practical implications for education and debate training. The findings provide educators with genre prototypes for curriculum design, support corpus-driven analysis of argumentation, and assist debate participants in refining persuasive strategies for constructing effective problem-solving arguments. Ultimately, the study enhances the efficacy and engagement of parliamentary debate as a platform for developing critical communication competencies