This exploratory study investigates the development of personality dimensions related to multicultural effectiveness and its relation to amount of target language use and self-perceived progress in speaking during a sojourn abroad in seven European countries. The participants were 59 Swedish and Belgian university students. The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire – Short Form ( van der Zee, Van Oudenhoven, Ponterotto, & Fietzer, 2013 ) was administered at the beginning and the end of the semester, and data on self-reported weekly hours of target language use and self-perceived linguistic progress were gathered at Time 2. The main findings are the observed moderate or near moderate correlations between self-perceived progress in speaking and change in Cultural Empathy, and between amount of target language use and change in Cultural Empathy and Openmindedness. This points to the relevance of further studies on the role of target language use and progress in the development of personality characteristics.
Cette étude longitudinale contribue aux recherches sur l’ acquisition d’ une langue seconde (L2) dans le contexte de séjour linguistique à l'étranger (Study Abroad), où l’ on s’ intéresse de plus en plus à comprendre comment les facteurs non-linguistiques interagissent avec le développement linguistique. Elle étudie le rôle de la nature du réseau social (au sens sociologique) de l’ apprenant dans le développement de la production orale en français L2 chez deux étudiants suédois qui passent un semestre en France et dont les niveaux d’ intégration dans la communauté de la langue cible (LC) s’ opposent. L’ analyse suggère qu’ un réseau social plus riche en relations en LC confère un avantage supplémentaire en ce qui concerne le développement du répertoire des expressions polylexicales (EPL) de l’ apprenant, mais non pas le développement de l’ exactitude grammaticale, de la diversité lexicale et de l’ usage des marqueurs discursifs. Ainsi, l’ étude vient partiellement à l’ appui de la supposition que le réseau social de l’ apprenant explique la variation individuelle dans le développement linguistique.
This article examines linguistic complexity in the noun phrase in spoken L1 and L2 French. Research on linguistic complexity in L2 has often concentrated on syntactic complexity, subordination in particular. In this study, we focus on syntactic complexity at the phrasal level, i.e. in the noun phrase, following the assumption put forward by Norris and Ortega (2009: 564) that internal NP complexity provides an important measure of very advanced learners. The present study examines pre- and post-modification in the noun phrase in the oral production of very advanced non-native speakers (NNS) and native speakers (NS) elicited through an on-line retelling of a clip from Modern Times. The results confirm our main hypothesis, that there are differences between NS and NNS: NS use more complex NPs, NPs with a higher mean number of words and more NPs with multiple modifiers.
This study builds on the proposition that there are six developmental stages for spoken L2 French, based on morpho-syntactic criteria (Bartning and Schlyter 2004). In order to investigate developmental stages 'beyond stage 6', oral productions of several groups of advanced learners/users and native speakers are analyzed in terms of resources and obstacles. Among the resources, we investigate expected late features such as formulaic language and elaboration of information structure (Forsberg 2008; Hancock 2007). Morpho-syntactic deviances (MSDs), i.e. obstacles are also investigated. MSDs are expected to be almost absent beyond stage 6 (von Stutterheim 2003). Surprisingly, they continue to be present even at these very high levels. The results also show that formulaic language and information structure are promising measures of high levels, although the latter did not yield significant differences compared to lower stages. The study concludes with the proposal of a transitional stage with L2 users called functional bilinguals, which would constitute a stage between the advanced learner and the near-native speaker.
The present study is a perception study that investigates how French L1 speakers evaluate the speech produced by advanced French Lx users that deviates from the pragmatic norms of the local community. More specifically, this exploratory study investigates how conventional expressions that displayed pragmalinguistic or sociopragmatic deviances affected the raters' (N = 62) evaluation of perceived communicative effectiveness and perceived likeability of the speakers in imagined intercultural encounters. Results from the study revealed that deviances were generally judged more severely on both evaluative dimensions than the target conventional expressions. Interestingly, however, findings also showed that deviances that partly included the pragmalinguistic or sociopragmatic resources preferred by target community members were evaluated positively. Methodological recommendations to pursue this new line of inquiry in the field of intercultural pragmatics are also discussed.
In this paper, we consider a student error produced in a French foreign language small-group seminar, involving four Swedish L1 first-term university students of French and a native French teacher. The error in question consists of a mispronunciation of the second vowel of the name Napoléon in the midst of a student presentation on the history of Corsica. Taking a conversation analytic approach to situated language use, the study considers the ways in which the erroneous pronunciation is turned into a resource whereby both teaching and learning opportunities are accomplished in teacher–student interaction. By tracking subsequent references to the initial error in a corpus of video-recorded small-group seminars, we explore some of the things that can be achieved by such referencing in later local contexts. The study demonstrates how not only students, but also the teacher, may learn in pedagogical interaction.
This article investigates how the disciplinary discourse on the contemporary state of foreign languages in universities hastily refers to these disciplines as being in 'crisis'. This practice is nearly as old as the Humanities itself, and has been employed periodically since at least the 1940s. Despite a period of increasing foreign language enrolment in the first decade of the twenty-first century in Australia, calls of 'crisis' came from across the languages sector. In tracing the use of the term 'crisis', we show how the sector has long been characterised by such alarmist terminology, even when reality suggests otherwise. The article traces this usage in the recent disciplinary discourse in foreign languages. A topical report of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, which shows increased language enrolment over the period 2002-11, leads one to believe that things at universities may not be as bad as first thought. This finding has implications for language enrolments not just in Australia, but around the world.
Nativelike expression in L2 speech is investigated by comparing quantity and distribution of different types of multiword structures (MWSs) in the speech of very advanced L2 speakers with native speakers. Swedish speakers of L2 English, L2 French and L2 Spanish (average LOR in the UK, France and Chile 7–10 years) performing two oral tasks, a role play, and an online retelling task, are compared with matching native speakers, totalling 140,000 words. The L2 groups were nativelike in their use of MWSs as social routines in the role play. Collocations, the dominant category in the retelling task, were underrepresented in all three L2 groups compared to the native groups. Furthermore, the English NNSs were nativelike on more measurements of MWSs than the French and Spanish NNSs.
Un tema debatido en el área de adquisición y uso de las L2 es en qué medida los usuarios de segundas lenguas son capaces de llegar a un nivel nativo. Mientras el desarrollo tardío de la morfosintaxis o del léxico ya es un campo ampliamente estudiado, la misma atención no ha sido dirigida a la competencia pragmática en general o la sociopragmática en particular. En este estudio, la conducta de hablantes de español L2 (L1 sueco) altamente proficientes y residentes en Chile por un periodo entre 5 y 14 años ha sido comparada con la de hablantes nativos de español chileno en una situación de poder asimétrico en la cual los sujetos deben producir discurso argumentativo. El análisis conversacional de los datos indica que el alineamiento de los sujetos nativos a las preferencias nativas dista mucho de ser completo. Las divergencias que se pueden observar entre conducta nativa y no-nativa se centran sobre dos dimensiones culturales: el manejo de la distancia de poder y el posicionamiento en la escala de distancia social.
Seven groups with ten people in each participated in a simulated activity in which they played the part of employees asking their boss for two days of leave. Four groups were made up of native speakers of British English, Metropolitan French, Chilean Spanish, and Swedish, respectively; the remaining three groups being non-native speakers of British English, Metropolitan French, and Chilean Spanish, with Swedish as their L1, who were long-time residents of their respective host countries. The aim of the study was to investigate the patterns of impression management that emerged in the different participant groups. Two dimensions of comparison were in focus: one regarding intercultural differences between the native speaker groups, and the other concerning non-native speakers' alignment with local patterns of behavior. The analysis shows little variation among the three groups with regard to profession-oriented strategies, whereas divergences related to affective variables were considerably greater. The non-native speakers exhibited a generally high degree of alignment to local patterns in all three national contexts, although lower degrees of alignment appeared with regard to variables specifically reflecting common Swedish national self-images.
With few exceptions the field of L2 pragmatics has focussed on intermediate and advanced learners and there is little knowledge to date regarding highly proficient, immersed L2 speakers' pragmatic performance. This study concerns L2 speakers having been immersed culturally and professionally for a considerable length of time. Our focus is on-line production of the request sequence by Swedish speakers of L2 English and L2 French having lived and worked approximately 10 years in the L2 country against matched native controls. The task is a role play between an employee and her/his boss implying high demands on the pragmatic knowledge of the participants. Our main results indicate that both groups of L2 users significantly underuse lexical and syntactic downgraders. It is argued in this paper that this underuse is not due to a lack of pragmalinguistic resources, i.e., they use the same types as the native speakers, but is of a socio-pragmatic nature, i.e., they do not downgrade to the same extent. Furthermore, L2 users significantly underuse 'situation-bound' routinized formulaic sequences for expressing the Head act. This result, in contrast, points to a lack of pragmalinguistic resources.
Cet article examine la compétence pragmatique des locuteurs quasi-natifs de français L2, comparé à celle des locuteurs natifs français. Plus précisément, l’étude s’intéresse à l’acte de langage de la requête, qui est analysé en termes d’acte directeur et actes subordonnés. Les modifications lexicales et syntaxiques au sein de celles-ci sont aussi étudiées. Ce qui nous intéresse, ce sont si les déviances entre locuteurs natifs et non-natifs sont de nature pragmalinguistique ou sociopragmatique. Afin de mieux comprendre l’origine de ces déviances, nous avons aussi inclus un groupe de locuteurs natifs suédois, qui nous permet d’étudier d’éventuels transferts du suédois dans la production des requêtes en français L2. Les résultats montrent que des différences existent entre locuteurs natifs et non-natifs du français, notamment au niveau des stratégies de requête utilisées et au niveau de la modification syntaxique. A partir des données suédoises, nous avons pu tirer la conclusion que les interférences suédoises sont surtout de nature pragmalinguistique pour cette analyse limitée.
One of the most important findings from second language acquisition (SLA) research using corpora to investigate formulaicity is that formulaic language takes a long time to acquire. Three major lines of investigation with respect to formulaic language in learner corpora will be discussed in this section: the extent to which Second Language (L2) learners acquire targetlike formulaicity, the role of cross-linguistic influence, and L2-specific formulaicity. Language learning theories have also increasingly emphasized the role of prefabricated or formulaic language. Both first language and SLA scholars are interested in whether language learning is rule-based or whether language is acquired through chunks. The results support the view that formulaic language is a good indicator of second language proficiency, especially at advanced and very advanced proficiency levels. One key characteristic of phraseological studies is that they usually rely on manual analysis of linguistic characteristics to define and identify different types of formulaic sequences.
The relationship between perceived nativelikeness and scrutinized nativelikeness is examined in very advanced L2 French and L2 Spanish. First, native speaker judges are asked to evaluate the speech of non-native speakers and native speakers of both languages, determining whether they pass as native speakers. Four non-native participants from each language group are then analyzed in more detail. Interviews with these speakers are analyzed with respect to formulaic language use and morphosyntax. No obvious differences between speakers who pass as native and those who do not are found. Subsequently, the short excerpts used in the evaluations are closely analyzed, in search for other possible differences. It is found that speakers who pass as native speakers use regional variation to a larger extent. It is thus proposed that there is no necessary connection between perceived nativelikeness and scrutinized nativelikeness and that ‘passing as a native speaker’ may be more linked to sociolinguistic competence than linguistic competence
Adult L2 acquisition has often been framed within research on the Critical Period Hypothesis, and the age factor is one of the most researched topics of SLA. However, several researchers suggest that while age is the most important factor for differences between child and adult SLA, variation in adult SLA is more dependent on social and psychological factors than on age of onset. The present qualitative study investigates the role of migratory experience, language use/social networks, language learning experience, identity and attitudes for high performance among Swedish L1 French L2 users in France. The study constitutes an in-depth thematic analysis of interviews with six high-performing individuals and four low-performing individuals. The main results show that the high performers differ from the low performers on all dimensions, except for attitudes towards the host community. High performers are above all characterized by self-reported language aptitude and an early interest in languages, which appears to have led to rich exposure to French. Also, they exhibit self-regulatory behaviors and attribute importance to being perceived as a native speaker of French—both for instrumental and existential reasons.
The present study investigates the possible impact of language ideologies on second language proficiency. Based on interviews and a thematic analysis, we explored language ideologies among French long-term residents in Stockholm, Sweden. The participants had contrasting proficiency levels in the host community language: five were categorised as low-performers of Swedish and five as high-performers of Swedish, based on two linguistic measures. Overall, low-performing and high-performing language users in this sample of French long-term residents in Sweden appear to hold different ideologies related to mobility and language learning. While the low-performers tend to adhere to efficiency-related ideologies and a universalist cosmopolitan worldview, where English as a lingua franca is the most significant capital, the high-performers adhere to ideologies that are more identity-based and closer to assimilationist or nationalist views, where the participants see themselves as joining a majority culture into which they should adapt. High host language proficiency is seen as necessary capital for this. All in all, the study makes a clear case for further studies exploring language ideologies in relation to second language acquisition.
The study investigates how psychological and social factors relate to productive collocation knowledge in late L2 learners of Swedish (French L1) (N = 59). The individual factors are language aptitude (measured through the LLAMA aptitude test), reported language use, social networks, acculturation, and personality. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that positive effects were found for LLAMA D (phonetic memory), LLAMA E (sound-symbol correspondence), reported language use, and length of residence (LOR). Furthermore, a negative effect was found for the personality variable Open-mindedness. These variables explained 63% (adjusted R2) of the variance, which represents large effects compared to other studies on individual factors. In sum, the findings confirm earlier results on the importance of language aptitude and language use for productive collocation knowledge. They also add evidence of the importance of personality and LOR. In sum, cognitive and social factors combine to explain different outcomes in adult L2 acquisition.
This study investigated what psychological and social factors predict 'perceived nativelikeness' in late second language (L2) learners of French (L1 Swedish) (N = 62) with a minimum length of residence (LOR) of 5 years in France. The included factors were: language aptitude (LLAMA), acculturation (VIA), personality (MPQ), target language engagement and social networks (number of relations in L2). LOR and Length of French studies were also included as extraneous variables. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that positive effects were found for LLAMA D (sound recognition), acculturation (VIA France and VIA Sweden), number of relations in L2 and LOR. A negative effect was found for the personality variable Social initiative. The strongest effects were found for LLAMA D, Social initiative and LOR. All variables together explained 25% (adjusted R-2) of the variance in the sample, which represents medium-sized effects in relation to other studies on individual factors. In sum, these findings confirm results from earlier studies on the importance of language aptitude and acculturation in late L2 acquisition. They also add evidence of the importance of personality, social networks, and LOR. On a more general note psychological and social factors combine to explain different outcomes in adult L2 acquisition, although the effects of psychological variables are deemed somewhat stronger.
This volume investigates cultural migrants: people who, from their own free will, move to another country because of their interest in the target language and culture. Chapters include studies on cultural migrants acquiring French, Italian, Spanish and English and consider linguistic, psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects of language acquisition. Cultural migrants have social and psychological advantages when acquiring a second language as adults, and the study of their linguistic knowledge and production increases our understanding of the possibilities and limits of L2 ultimate attainment. The work thus fills a gap in our understanding of high-level proficiency and will be of interest to researchers working in the field of SLA, as well as to social scientists studying the relationship between language, culture and integration.
The aim of this study is twofold: first, to find evidence for additional advanced stages in L2 French. The continuum of Bartning and Schlyter (2004) is taken as a point of departure. It is hypothesized that a number of linguistic criteria will account for high-level proficiency. It was earlier found that besides morpho-syntax, formulaic sequences and information structure are interesting phenomena for highly proficient learners (Bartning, Forsberg and Hancock, 2009). Three more measures are now added, i.e. perceived nativelikeness, lexical richness and fluency. The second aim of this study is to contribute to the debate on the possibility of nativelike attainment. The study shows that several measures are prone to characterise nativelike performance in highly proficient users among whom some attain nativelikeness.
The present study investigates the role of personality in language learning, with a special focus on the association between multicultural effectiveness and phrasal knowledge in L1 Dutch L2 English learners in Belgium (n=97). Results from the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) (five personality dimensions) were associated with results from a rational cloze test, measuring productive phrasal knowledge. In addition, scores from grammar proficiency tests were also included, since language proficiency is known to be a strong predictor for phrasal knowledge. A regression analysis revealed significant associations between phrasal knowledge and the personality dimensions Flexibility and Openmindedness, when grammar proficiency was controlled for. This study adds to the growing body of evidence of associations between phrasal knowledge and personality, encouraging researchers to pursue this avenue with learners from different L1/L2 pairings, in different contexts of L2 acquisition.
In her overview of research on the advanced L2 learner, Bartning (1997) aims at characterizing the advanced learner variety. This characterization is above all based on morphosyntactic traits. The aim of this contribution is to present additional characteristics of the advanced learner as defined by Bartning (1997), as well as to describe even more advanced levels based on recent research concerning spoken L2 French. More specifically, the main issue under investigation is whether two vocabulary measures, viz. lexical richness and lexical formulaic sequences, can be used to distinguish between different advanced levels and thus contribute to the characterization of the advanced learner of French. An additional issue investigated here is whether these two lexical aspects correlate with each other or whether they develop at different rates.
The present study investigates the relationship between productive collocation knowledge and advanced levels on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. More precisely, the potential progression between the B2 and C1 levels of the CEFR is studied through the development of a productive collocation test in second language (L2) French. The test targets frequent verb-noun collocations in written L2 French, identified using the database Les Voisins de Le Monde. Three different pilot studies are presented, with both native speakers (NSs) and non-native speakers (NNSs) of French (with different first languages), for a total of 152 participants. The test is validated through a general proficiency test and through a test of reliability The final testing session, carried out with 47 NNSs of French, yielded a test with a total of 30 items, which showed significantly different results for the B2 and the C1 levels. In addition to constituting a useful tool in language assessment, this study confirms the key place of productive collocation knowledge at high levels of L2 proficiency.
The aim of the present exploratory study was twofold. The first was to investigate how indicators of high-level proficiency (collocations and grammaticality judgment) related to aptitude in late French L2 learners. Results showed a significant positive correlation between collocations and performance on the LLAMA D (Meara 2005). The second question concerned how personality relates to indicators of high-level L2 proficiency (collocations and grammaticality judgment). Two personality dimensions in the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (Van der Zee & van Oudenhoven 2000) were significantly and positively correlated with scores for collocations and the LLAMA D. The preliminary findings suggest that collocations are a valid measure for high-level L2 proficiency and that it is necessary to consider both personality and social-psychological factors when predicting successful L2 learning.
The present study investigates the possibilities for adult learners to attain nativelikeness in the domain of lexis. Aspects investigated are general lexical knowledge (C-test), receptive deep knowledge, productive collocation knowledge, and productive lexico-pragmatic knowledge in a group of longresidency Swedish French second language (L2) users in France and a matched native control group. The analysis includes correlations between these different vocabulary aspects as well as their relation to the length of residence in the target-language (TL) community. The study reveals that it is possible for L2 learners to attain nativelikeness in general lexical knowledge and lexicopragmatic knowledge, whereas deep knowledge and collocations are especially difficult for L2 learners, supporting earlier research findings. Furthermore, a strong correlation is found between general lexical knowledge and collocations, but surprisingly not between any of the other aspects, or between vocabulary aspects and length of residence. The results are discussed in light of individual differences in research.