Le cadeau or la cadeau? The Role of Aptitude in Learner Awareness of Gender Distinctions in French

Abstract

Research has shown differences among learners in terms of their level of awareness of grammatical features in the input. Reasons for these differences have not been widely researched, despite the pedagogical importance of understanding what different learners are noticing. It has been found, however, that learners' grammatical sensitivity and memory may play a role. The present study investigated whether awareness can be predicted by five individual difference measures: attention control, working memory, phonologic memory, grammatical sensitivity, and inductive language learning ability. Forty-six anglophone adults with pre-intermediate French completed a crossword task that provided exposure to two reliable noun endings for attributing gender (cadeau/rondelle). A think-aloud protocol and two probe questions measured awareness. Participants were divided into two groups: aware and no verbal report. A regression analysis showed that only the test of inductive language learning ability could predict assignment to awareness group. Implications for aptitude, awareness, and L2 proficiency research are discussed.