Abstract
abstractIn the context of theories of statistical learning, frequency of encounter is viewed as a major driving force in L2 acquisition. The present paper challenges this position with respect to core components at the level of language competence which relate to language-specific patterns in cognitive construal. Empirical evidence from very advanced L2 speakers (L1 French, L2 English and L2 German) shows that forms and constructions which are highly frequent in the target languages in the expression of motion events are not used in a target-like form by L2 speakers. The study shows how the basis for language use which is not target-like lies at the level of event construal: conceptual frames, which are language-specific and are deeply anchored in the course of L1 acquisition, drive allocation of attention and the extraction of forms in L2 acquisition. Findings in the domain of spatial cognition show that motion event frames based on the L1 take precedence over frequency of occurrence of forms in the target language as a factor in L2 use.
Highlights
The aim of the present study is to challenge the role of frequency as the major factor in L2 acquisition on the way to acquiring full competence – full competence which includes comprehension and creative language use
When it comes to the underlying factors which are highly language-specific in actual language use, L2 speakers may fail to follow the specific sets of principles that native speakers apply when linking linguistic categories and conceptual representation
The results clearly show that L2 speakers do not construe and express motion events according to the patterns which are highly frequent in the TL data
Summary
The aim of the present study is to challenge the role of frequency as the major factor in L2 acquisition on the way to acquiring full competence – full competence which includes comprehension and creative language use. A word recognition test or a frequency judgment test might show that learners have acquired lexical items, idiomatic expressions, or knowledge on collocations of certain items When it comes to the underlying factors which are highly language-specific in actual language use, L2 speakers may fail to follow the specific sets of principles that native speakers apply when linking linguistic categories and conceptual representation. Eye-movement studies showed that the fixation time on each word in reading is a function of its frequency and of the forward transitional probability (McDonald & Shillcock, 2003) These and similar L1 studies that test a range of processing mechanisms offered multifaceted evidence that speakers are sensitive to the frequency with which constructions/ collocations occur: frequent collocations are perceived, recognised, retrieved,
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