A case for the multifactorial assessment of learner language
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Sandra C. Deshors
Abstract
In this study, we apply Gries and Divjak’s Behavioral Profile approach to compare native English can and may, learner English can and may, and French pouvoir. We annotated over 3,700 examples across three corpora according to more than 20 morphosyntactic and semantic features and we analysed the features’ distribution with a hierarchical cluster analysis and a logistic regression. The cluster analysis shows that French English learners build up fairly coherent categories that group the English modals together followed by pouvoir, but that they also consider pouvoir to be semantically more similar to can than to may. The regression strongly supports learners’ coherent categories; however, a variety of interactions shows where learners’ modal use still deviates from that of native speakers.
Abstract
In this study, we apply Gries and Divjak’s Behavioral Profile approach to compare native English can and may, learner English can and may, and French pouvoir. We annotated over 3,700 examples across three corpora according to more than 20 morphosyntactic and semantic features and we analysed the features’ distribution with a hierarchical cluster analysis and a logistic regression. The cluster analysis shows that French English learners build up fairly coherent categories that group the English modals together followed by pouvoir, but that they also consider pouvoir to be semantically more similar to can than to may. The regression strongly supports learners’ coherent categories; however, a variety of interactions shows where learners’ modal use still deviates from that of native speakers.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Outline 1
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Section 1. Polysemy and synonymy
- Polysemy and synonymy 7
- Competing ‘transfer’ constructions in Dutch 39
- Rethinking constructional polysemy 61
- Quantifying polysemy in Cognitive Sociolinguistics 87
- The many uses of run 117
- Visualizing distances in a set of near-synonyms 145
- A case for the multifactorial assessment of learner language 179
- Dutch causative constructions 205
- The semasiological structure of Polish myśleć ‘to think’ 223
- A multifactorial corpus analysis of grammatical synonymy 253
- A diachronic corpus-based multivariate analysis of “I think that” vs. “I think zero” 279
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Section 2. Statistical techniques
- Techniques and tools 307
- Statistics in R 343
- Frequency tables 365
- Collostructional analysis 391
- Cluster analysis 405
- Correspondence analysis 443
- Logistic regression 487
- Name index 535
- Subject index 541
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Outline 1
-
Section 1. Polysemy and synonymy
- Polysemy and synonymy 7
- Competing ‘transfer’ constructions in Dutch 39
- Rethinking constructional polysemy 61
- Quantifying polysemy in Cognitive Sociolinguistics 87
- The many uses of run 117
- Visualizing distances in a set of near-synonyms 145
- A case for the multifactorial assessment of learner language 179
- Dutch causative constructions 205
- The semasiological structure of Polish myśleć ‘to think’ 223
- A multifactorial corpus analysis of grammatical synonymy 253
- A diachronic corpus-based multivariate analysis of “I think that” vs. “I think zero” 279
-
Section 2. Statistical techniques
- Techniques and tools 307
- Statistics in R 343
- Frequency tables 365
- Collostructional analysis 391
- Cluster analysis 405
- Correspondence analysis 443
- Logistic regression 487
- Name index 535
- Subject index 541
