Volume 45, Issue 1

This cross-linguistic study investigates the functionality and use of one particular linguistic collocation in each of two languages, viz. the French c'est and the Swedish det är, both meaning ‘it is’. The data are drawn from conversational speech production by adult native speakers and second language learners. The investigation shows that these collocations are highly polyfunctional as components in different grammatical constructions, that they play a significant role as a formula in the planning and execution of utterances and that they show a characteristic distribution of frequency of use and a characteristic profile of development in learner speech. A usage-based view of how language develops in individuals is adopted in the analysis of these findings, showing that these various properties are connected to each other and that they have an important bearing on the development of learners' interlanguages.

The aim of this study is to discuss the interaction of linguistic complexity and morpho-syntactic development in foreign language learners. The analysis of morpho-syntactic structures was carried out within the framework of Processability Theory (Pienemann 1998). To capture the level of complexity we investigate the following: sentence length, subordination and nominal vs. verbal style. Oral and written data from four adult learners were collected over a period of one year. The analysis of complexity and morpho-syntax suggests that learners can be divided into different types, such as: The Risk-taker, The Recycler and The Careful and Thorough.

This study examines the feedback practices of 110 EFL teachers from five different countries (Cyprus, France, Korea, Spain, and Thailand), working in secondary school contexts. All provided feedback on the same student essay. The coding scheme developed to analyse the feedback operates on two axes: the stance the teachers assumed when providing feedback, and the focus of their feedback. Most teachers reacted as language teachers, rather than as readers of communication. The teachers overwhelmingly focused on grammar in their feedback and assumed what we called a Provider role, providing the correct forms for the student. A second role, Initiator, was also present, in which teachers indicate errors or issues to the learner but expect the learner to pick this up and work on it. This role was associated with a more even spread of feedback focus, where teachers also provided feedback on other areas, such as lexis, style and discourse.