The Acquisition of Verbal Epistemic Stance Marking during Study Abroad: The Case of je pense in L2 French

Pascale Leclercq

doi:10.3390/languages6040196

Abstract

Epistemic stance markers, such as je pense in French, take on a variety of discursive functions, ranging from asserting an opinion, indicating the source of information, and mitigating a claim, to pragmatic functions, such as gaining time for discourse planning. Previous research suggests that the epistemic marker je pense is mostly used in French conversation to express opinions and can be used as an indicator of the development of a learner’s assertiveness and pragmatic competence during a study abroad period. Using a functional approach, this paper seeks to find out the extent to which study abroad fosters the development of assertiveness and pragmalinguistic competence among L2 learners, through an analysis of stance marking in interview data from 26 Anglophone learners of French, who spent nine months abroad in a French-speaking country, and 10 French native speakers. The results show that learners are globally less assertive in their use of je pense than native speakers, particularly prior to departure, and that they develop pragmatic uses of je pense, thereby showing a development in their interactional strategies. Finally, the high inter-variability in the way learners used je pense suggests the importance of personal style.

Highlights

Languages 6: 196. https://doi.org/Expressing stance is inherent in human speech: in conversation, speakers do not merely communicate factual information, they indicate how they relate to a particular state of affairs, and they align with their interlocutors (Du Bois 2007)
While a few studies have focused on the acquisition of epistemic stance in L2 English in a guided context (Gablasova et al 2017; Kirkham 2011), there is very little work on the development of stance taking in L2 French, nor on the acquisition of stance taking in an study abroad (SA) context
We present an overview of relevant studies on the L2 acquisition of epistemic stance markers to find out what they can contribute to the larger SLA debate

Summary

Introduction

Expressing stance is inherent in human speech: in conversation, speakers do not merely communicate factual information, they indicate how they relate to a particular state of affairs, and they align with their interlocutors (Du Bois 2007). 614), epistemic stance marking “fulfils three major interconnected functions in the interaction: (i) expressing opinion, (ii) maintaining relations between the interlocutors, and (iii) discourse organization.”. Learning how to express epistemic stance in conversation through native-like form–function mappings is a crucial challenge for second language (L2) learners, especially during a study abroad (SA). While a few studies have focused on the acquisition of epistemic stance in L2 English in a guided context (Gablasova et al 2017; Kirkham 2011), there is very little work on the development of stance taking in L2 French, nor on the acquisition of stance taking in an SA context

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Discussion

Conclusion