L2 competence in Chinese correlative connectives: A case of discontinuous discursive formulaic sequences

Abstract

This study explored second language (L2) competence in discontinuous discursive formulaic sequences, namely Chinese correlative connectives (CCCs; e.g. yīnwèi . . . suǒyǐ ‘because . . . so’), in relation to the determinants of formulaic sequence acquisition by scrutinizing L2 Chinese learners’ performance on two controlled tasks. Mixed-effects modeling showed that frequency exerted both positive and negative effects on the task performance of L2 learners on CCCs. Contingency (i.e. the co-occurrence of two constituent connectives) posed a tremendous challenge to the use of obligatory CCCs by L2 learners. In contrast, semantic transparency and first language congruency had a positive effect. The effects of these determinants on L2 performance were qualified by their interactions in different categories of CCCs. The results also indicated that learners were sensitive to frequency and contingency determinants at both construction and constituent word levels. This study enriches our understanding of L2 competence in formulaic language and provides unique insights into L2 learners’ knowledge of CCCs.