How Learner Corpus Research can inform language learning and teaching
An analysis of adjective amplification among L1 and L2 English speakers
This study aims to exemplify how language teaching can benefit from learner corpus research (LCR). To this end,
this study determines how L1 and L2 English speakers with diverse L1 backgrounds differ with respect to adjective amplification,
based on the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE) and the Louvain Corpus of Native English
Essays (LOCNESS). The study confirms trends reported in previous research, in that L1 speakers amplify adjectives
more frequently than L2 English speakers. In addition, the analysis shows that L1 and L2 English speakers differ substantially
with respect to the collocational profiles of specific amplifier types and with respect to awareness of genre-specific constraints
on amplifier use, and that even advanced L2 speakers tend to be unaware of stylistic constraints on adjective amplification
because they model their academic output based on patterns generalized from informal conversation. These findings are useful for
language teaching in that the data can be used to target L1-specific difficulties experienced by L2 English speakers.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1Adjective amplification
- 2.Previous research on L1 and L2 adjective amplification
- 3.Data and methodology
- 3.1Data sources and processing
- 3.2Statistical methods
- 3.2.1Covarying collexeme analysis
- 3.2.2Configuration frequency analysis
- 4.Results
- 5.Discussion
- Notes
-
References
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