J. Elliott Casal

 

Education

Ph.D 2016-2020, Pennsylvania State University
M.A. 2012-2014, Ohio University
B.A. 2004-2008, Ohio University     

Academic Summary

J. Elliott Casal is an applied linguist with interests in corpus linguistics, second language and multilingual writing, disciplinary literacies, and language/literacy technologies. Since joining the University of Memphis, he has been honored with the Michael K. Harkess Faculty Excellence Award (2024), the IIS Engaged Faculty Member Award (2025), the Graduate Mentor Award (2025), and the Early Career Research Award (2025). He is co-editor of the book series Technology in Language and Literacy with Multilingual Matters.

Select Publications 

Books

• Kessler, M., & Casal, J. E. (2024). Making the most of graduate school: A guidebook for students in applied linguistics, education, and TESOL. Applied Linguistics Press.
• Casal, J. E., Kurtz, L., & Qiu, X. (2026). Concept-based language instruction and genre-based second language writing pedagogy: Provoking and assessing development. Multilingual Matters, SLA series.
• Kessler, M., Casal, J. E., & Marino, F. (Eds.). (expected, 2026). Multimodal practices in higher education: Analyzing and teaching diverse genres. Routledge.
• Shahri, N., & Casal, J. E. (Eds.). (2027, Under contract). Micro-processes of second language writing: Analyzing writing as it unfolds. Parlor Press, L2 Writing Series.

Selected Refereed Journal Articles

• Xu, Y., & Casal, J. E. (2025). “I dunno, as long as it proves my point”: A concept-based approach to teaching citation and intertextuality to emerging writers. The Modern Language Journal, 109(4), 961-990.

• Casal, J. E., Stewart, C., & Windsor, A. (2025). "It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts’ medical and financial advice. PLoS One, 20(5).

• Golparvar, S., Casal, J. E., & Abolhasani, H. (2025). The development of syntactic complexity in integrated writing: A focus on fine-grained measures. Assessing Writing, 66, 100983.

• Casal, J. E., & Kessler, M. (2024). New theoretical and practical horizons in data-driven learning: Introduction to the special issue. TESOL Quarterly, 58. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3331
• Xu, Y., & Casal, J. E. (2023). Navigating complexity in plain English: A longitudinal analysis of syntactic and lexical complexity development in L2 legal writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2023.101059
• Casal, J. E., & Kessler, M. (2023). Can linguists distinguish between ChatGPT/AI and human writing?: A study of research ethics and academic publishing. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 2(3), 100068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2023.100068.
• Casal, J. E., & Yoon, J. (2023). Frame-based formulaic features in L2 writing pedagogy: Variants, functions, and student writer perceptions in academic writing. English for Specific Purposes, 71, 102-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2023.03.004. 
• Casal, J. E., Shirai, Y., & Lu, X. (2022). English Verb-Argument Construction profiles in a specialized academic corpus: Variation by genre and discipline. English for Specific Purposes, 66, 94-107. 
• Casal, J. E., Lu, X., Qiu, X., Wang, Y., & Zhang, G. (2021). Syntactic complexity across academic research article part-genres: A cross-disciplinary perspective. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 52, 1-12.
• Lu, X., Casal, J. E., & Liu, Y. (2020). The rhetorical functions of syntactically complex sentences in research article introductions. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 44, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100832. 
• Casal, J. E., & Lee, J. J. (2019). Syntactic complexity and writing quality in assessed first-year L2 writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 44, 51-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.03.005. 
• Lee, J. J., Hitchcock, G. C., & Casal, J. E. (2018). Citation practices of L2 university students in first-year writing: Form, function, and stance. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 33, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.01.001. 
• Bikowski, D., & Casal, J. E. (2018). Interactive digital textbooks and engagement: A learning strategies framework. Language Learning & Technology, 22(1), 119-136.
• Lee, J. J., & Casal, J. E. (2014). Metadiscourse in RAD chapters: A cross-linguistic analysis of English and Spanish thesis writers in engineering. System, 46, 39-54.

Selected Book Chapters

• Casal, J. E., King, S., & Javanmardi, P. (2026). Web-Based Corpora. In M. Kessler (Ed.), Online and Internet-Based Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. John Benjamins.
• Casal, J. E., Kurtz, L. M. (2026). Writing with Legal English: An Integrated Formal and Functional Analysis of Case Facts. The Future of Teaching Law and Language, Austrian Association for Legal Linguistics.
• Casal, J. E., & Qiu, X. (2024). Non-finite clause use in novice and expert academic writing in Agricultural Science: A corpus driven analysis. In M. Walková (Ed.). Linguistic approaches in EAP: Expanding the discourse. Bloomsbury.
• Garcia Alonso, A., & Casal, J. E. (2024). Language teacher development through Concept-Based Language Instruction: Empowering novices for novel contexts. In K. Johnson, P. Golombek and J. Reiker (Eds.). Innovation, Intentionality, and Intervention: Vygotskian Sociocultural Research in Second Language Teacher Education. Routledge.
• Casal, J. E., & Kessler, M. (2024). Rhetorical move-step analysis. In Conducting Genre-Based Research in Applied Linguistics (pp. 82-104). Routledge.
• Lu, X., Casal, J. E., & Liu, Y. (2022). Automated syntactic analysis for language teaching. In R. R. Jablonkai & E. Csomay (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of corpora in English language teaching and learning. New York: Routledge.
• Lu, X., Casal, J. E., & Liu, Y. (2021). Corpus-based genre analysis. In C. Coombe & H. Mohebbi (Eds.). Research questions in language education and applied linguistics: A reference guide. Berlin: Springer.
• Casal, J. E., & Bikowski, D. (2020). A framework for learning with digital resources: Applications for project-based language learning. In G. Beckett & T. Slater (Eds.). Global perspectives on project-based language, teaching, and assessment: Key approaches, technology tools, and frameworks. New York: Routledge.
• Casal, J. E. (2016). Learning technology review: Criterion Online Writing Evaluation. CALICO, 33(1).