Frequency Effects in Chinese Learners’ Acquisition of the English Article Construction

Abstract

AbstractThe current study, built on the usage-based approach to language, investigated frequency effects in Chinese learners’ acquisition of English articles. We carried out type and token frequency analysis of article usages in academic written essays sourced from a written English corpus of Chinese learners. We adopted an existing usage-based article cue coding scheme, which allowed us to implement a refined frequency analysis of all form-function mappings in learner texts. Our findings suggested that learners’ article usage follows the Zipfian distribution in terms of token frequency. Learners show a heavier reliance on a very limited number of high-frequency cues than native speakers. Non-definites (indefinite article and zero article) outnumber definite articles in terms of token and type frequency in learner texts. Yet definite articles show a significantly higher type/token ratio than non-definites, suggesting that learners develop a more complex and heterogeneous profile of definite article usage. We argue for more research and pedagogical attention to frequency and complexity effects in the acquisition of articles.KeywordsUsage-basedConstruction learningFrequencyEnglish articles