A Usage‐Based Approach to Preposition Placement in English as a Second Language

Jach, Daniel

doi:10.1111/lang.12277

Cited by 40 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…However, their similar performance on idiosyncratic the cues and idiosyncratic Ø cues suggested that they had not been able to attune to the idiosyncrasy of entity names in their specific contexts of usage. The lack of contextualised constructional knowledge (the ability to associate constructions to particular contexts) constituted one of the major knowledge gaps between native speakers and L2 learners (Ellis et al 2008;Jach 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergence of Second Language Categorisation of the English Article Construction

Zhao

2020

Languages

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This study examines the emergent cognitive categorisation of the English article construction among second language (L2) learners. One hundred and fourteen Mandarin-L1 learners of English, divided into two L2 proficiency levels (low-to-intermediate and advanced), were measured by a computer-based cloze test for the accuracy and response time of appropriate use of English articles in sentential contexts. Results showed that when learners acquired the polysemous English article construction they demonstrated stronger competence in differentiating individual form-function mappings in the article construction. L2 learners’ patterns of article construction usage were shaped by semantic functions. Learners performed better on the definiteness category than on the non-definiteness categories, suggesting that learners were sensitive to the prototypicality of nominal grounding. Advanced learners demonstrated an increased sensitivity to semantic idiosyncrasy, but they lacked contextualised constructional knowledge. Competition among the functional categories and restructuring of functional categories are important ways of regularization that learners go through to acquire semantically complex systems such as articles.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergence of Second Language Categorisation of the English Article Construction

Zhao

2020

Languages

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“…To do well on this test, participants had to derive an abstract representation of the word order patterns underlying the training sentences. However, to arrive at this level of representation, a critical mass of exposure is required (Tomasello, 2003; Ambridge and Lieven, 2011; Jach, 2018), which the training phase in this experiment might not have provided. Further, it is worth remembering that a small learning effect for syntax is in line with Rebuschat and Williams (2012) and Tagarelli et al (2011), who investigated the incidental learning of the same word order patterns (though without pseudowords).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simultaneous Acquisition of Words and Syntax: Effects of Exposure Condition and Declarative Memory

2018

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This study examined the simultaneous acquisition of vocabulary and grammar by adult learners and the role of exposure condition and declarative memory. Most experimental studies investigating the acquisition of artificial or natural languages focus on either vocabulary or grammar, but not both. However, a systematic investigation of the simultaneous learning of multiple linguistic features is important given that it mirrors language learning outside the lab. Native English speakers were exposed to an artificial language under either incidental or intentional exposure conditions. Participants had to learn both novel pseudowords and word order patterns while also processing stimulus sentences for meaning. The results showed that adult learners are able to rapidly acquire basic syntactic information of a novel language while processing the input for meaning (plausibility judgments) and attempting to learn novel vocabulary at the same time. The results further indicated that exposure condition (incidental versus intentional) made no difference in terms of either vocabulary or grammar learning gains. Findings also revealed that learners developed explicit, not implicit, knowledge of lexis and syntax. Finally, the results indicated that individuals’ declarative memory capacity was not related to vocabulary learning but only to grammar learning. Our study underscores the importance of studying the simultaneous acquisition of different language features and from different perspectives of comprehension versus production, incidental versus intentional learning conditions, implicit/explicit knowledge, and individual differences in cognitive abilities.

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“…A corollary of these shared assumptions is that mental grammar emerges out of concrete experience with language (Bybee 2006), meaning that "language acquisition happens in and through use" (Ortega 2014: 193). Researchers adopting a usage-based approach within SLA (e.g., Cadierno and Eskildsen 2015; Ellis and Wulff 2015;Ortega et al 2016;Jach 2018) view language learning as a situated, embodied process in which learners engage (via implicit learning mechanisms) with input, showing sensitivity to various patterns and regularities present in the target language. Characteristics of the input that tend to facilitate learning include higher frequency and greater salience of forms (i.e., sounds, words, constructions), as well as reliable mappings between forms and their functions (Ellis et al 2016).…”

Section: Data-driven Approaches In Slamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal Study of Grammatical-Gender Marking in French as an Additional Language

Edmonds

Gudmestad

Metzger

2019

Applied Linguistics

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This investigation responds to the need for longitudinal data-driven research on additional-language (AL) acquisition by examining grammatical-gender marking among AL learners of French during a 21-month period, which included an academic year abroad (LANGSNAP corpus). The analysis of oral production consists of a generalized linear mixed model that examines a range of linguistic and extralinguistic factors shown to be important for gender marking in previous research, as well as a random effect for participant. Results show evidence of both change across time and consistency in the interlanguage. Drawing on variationism and usage-based approaches, we argue that longitudinal investigations that are focused on how learners use their additional language have much to offer our understanding of AL acquisition processes.

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A Usage‐Based Approach to Preposition Placement in English as a Second Language

Cited by 40 publications

References 64 publications

The Emergence of Second Language Categorisation of the English Article Construction

The Emergence of Second Language Categorisation of the English Article Construction

Simultaneous Acquisition of Words and Syntax: Effects of Exposure Condition and Declarative Memory

A Longitudinal Study of Grammatical-Gender Marking in French as an Additional Language

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