L1 frequency in foreign language acquisition

Recurrent word combinations in French and Spanish EFL learner writing

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11655993
AutoresMagali Paquot (0000-0001-5687-5074, UCLouvain, autor de correspondencia)
Año2015
Volumen33
Número1
Páginas13-32
Fecha de publicación2015-12-15
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSecond language Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0267-6583 • E-ISSN: 1477-0326
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0267658315620265
OpenAlexW2208255958
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12
Referencias citadas46

This study investigated French and Spanish EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ preferred use of three-word lexical bundles with discourse or stance-oriented function with a view to exploring the role of first language (L1) frequency effects in foreign language acquisition. Word combinations were extracted from learner performance data (i.e. argumentative essays), and the frequency of their translation equivalent forms was analysed on the basis of French and Spanish L1 corpora. Strong and positive monotonic correlations were found between the frequency of a lexical bundle in the EFL learners’ written productions and the frequency of its equivalent form in the learners’ first language. Results also suggest that different patterns of use across the two L1 learner populations may be explained by frequency differences in L1 French and Spanish. Overall, the study calls for a more systematic investigation of L1 frequency effects within usage-based perspectives on second language acquisition

Argumentative · Foreign language · Linguistics · Second-language acquisition · Sentence · Word lists by frequency · Computer Science · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Psychology · Second Language Acquisition and Learning