Motion-Path Expressions in L2 English and Pedagogical Implications for Multi-word Verb Use: A Comparison Among Native Speakers of Chinese, Korean, and English

Abstract

AbstractThis study examined how the typological characteristics of the first language (L1) affect the motion-path formulation of motion events in English as a second language (L2) among native speakers of Chinese, Korean, and English, and discussed their pedagogical implications for multi-word verb use. Sixty-one university students participated in an elicited writing task in English. Written narratives were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results showed that both native speakers of equipollently-framed Chinese and verb-framed Korean were less likely to use verb satellites to encode the path of motion than native speakers of satellite-framed English. Five pivotal features—underuse, replacement, misuse, pragmatic inadequacy, and confusion of word class—emerged in the use of multi-word verbs in Chinese and Korean speakers’ expressions of motion events. The findings of this study were interpreted through the lens of cross-linguistic influences on learners’ written narratives in L2 English. A discussion of applicational practice centred on teaching English prepositional verbs and phrasal verbs to address learners’ writing weaknesses.KeywordsMotion-path encodingMulti-word verbESLL2 EnglishChinese learners