Abstract
Formulaic sequences are assumed to play a vital role in foreign language learners' speech fluency and language proficiency as they constitute a major part of foreign language learners' linguistic repertoire. In this respect, the current study examined the relationship between knowledge of formulaic sequences and language proficiency to scrutinize the significance of knowledge of target language formulaic sequences in determining target language proficiency. The participants of the study were 45 Japanese learners of English as foreign language at three different levels of language proficiency: low-intermediate (18 participants), intermediate (12 participants), and high-intermediate (15 participants) at the Intensive English Program of International College of Liberal Arts, Yamanashi Gakuin University. The instrument used for data collection consisted of a 30-item oral-production discourse completion task to test language learners’ knowledge of formulaic sequences. The analysis of Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient (rho) revealed a strong positive relationship between language learners’ knowledge of target language formulaic sequences and their level of language proficiency. The pedagogical implications of the study suggested incorporation of target language formulaic sequences in every foreign language classroom instruction.
Highlights
Formulaic sequences, a cover term for multiple-word strings that behave as single units such as collocations, idioms, proverbs, and lexical bundles (Boers et al, 2006; Alali & Schmitt, 2012; Grami & Alkazemi, 2016), constitute a major part of foreign language learners’ linguistic repertoire (Erman & Warren, 2000; Foster, 2001; Schmitt & Carter, 2004)
The current study examined the relationship between knowledge of formulaic sequences and language proficiency to scrutinize the significance of knowledge of target language formulaic sequences in determining target language proficienc
As the data presented in the table shows, knowledge of target language formulaic sequences increases with proficiency level: language learners at low-intermediate level displayed the lowest knowledge, language learners at intermediate level outperformed the low-intermediate ones but their performance was not as good as the high-intermediate counterparts, and language learners at high-intermediate level had the highest performance
Summary
A cover term for multiple-word strings that behave as single units such as collocations, idioms, proverbs, and lexical bundles (Boers et al, 2006; Alali & Schmitt, 2012; Grami & Alkazemi, 2016), constitute a major part of foreign language learners’ linguistic repertoire (Erman & Warren, 2000; Foster, 2001; Schmitt & Carter, 2004). The high rate of formulaic sequences in language indicates that they play a vital role in foreign language learners’ speech fluency and language proficiency (Boers et al, 2006; Schmitt, 2010; Stengers et al, 2011; Peters & Pauwels, 2015). Appropriate use of target language formulaic sequences has been found to be a particular challenge to foreign language learners, even at advanced levels (Nesselhauf, 2003; Durrant & Schmitt, 2009; Laufer & Waldman, 2011; Levitzky-Aviad & Laufer, 2013)
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