More is more in language learning:reconsidering the less-is-more hypothesis

The Less-is-More hypothesis was proposed to explain age-of-acquisition effects in first language (L1) acquisition and second language (L2) attainment. We scrutinize different renditions of the hypothesis by examining how learning outcomes are affected by (1) limited cognitive capacity, (2) reduced interference resulting from less prior knowledge, and (3) simplified language input. While there is little-to-no evidence of benefits of limited cognitive capacity, there is ample support for a More-is-More account linking enhanced capacity with better L1- and L2-learning outcomes, and reduced capacity with childhood language disorders. Instead, reduced prior knowledge (relative to adults) may afford children with greater flexibility in inductive inference; this contradicts the idea that children benefit from a more constrained hypothesis space. Finally, studies of childdirected speech (CDS) confirm benefits from less complex input at early stages, but also emphasize how greater lexical and syntactic complexity of the input confers benefits in L1-attainment

Thinking About Multiword Constructions: Usage‐Based Approaches to Acquisition and Processing

Usage‐based approaches to language hold that we learn multiword expressions as patterns of language from language usage, and that knowledge of these patterns underlies fluent language processing. This paper explores these claims by focusing upon verb–argument constructions (VACs) such as “V(erb) about n(oun phrase).” These are productive constructions that bind syntax, lexis, and semantics. It presents (a) analyses of usage patterns of English VACs in terms of their grammatical form, semantics, lexical constituency, and distribution patterns in large corpora; (b) patterns of VAC usage in child‐directed speech and child language acquisition; and (c) investigations of VAC free‐association and psycholinguistic studies of online processing. We conclude that VACs are highly patterned in usage, that this patterning drives language acquisition, and that language processing is sensitive to the forms of the syntagmatic construction and their distributional statistics, the contingency of their association with meaning, and spreading activation and prototypicality effects in semantic reference. Language users have rich implicit knowledge of the statistics of multiword sequences.Ellis & Ogden examine the acquisition, processing and usage of verb‐argument constructions in English. They analyze the semantic, grammatical and distributional features of these multiword constructions in a large corpus; describes their use by both L1 and L2 learners; and reviews psycholinguistic findings on their processing by native and non‐native speakers. The findings demonstrate that language users have rich implicit statistical knowledge of multiword patterns and use this knowledge in learning and processing.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137734/1/tops12256.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137734/2/tops12256_am.pd

The impact of multi-word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts: a systematic review

This systematic review reports on research investigating the impact of multi-word unit (MWU) input on young learners' second language (L2) attainment in instructed settings. Recent findings suggest that L2 learners can generalise from MWU input, abstract patterns and employ such schemata productively via slot-filling, indicating that MWUs are key catalysts of learners' L2 development. Simultaneously, primary school L2 instruction is on the rise worldwide and the importance of MWUs is acknowledged in curricula, teacher education and teaching materials. Therefore, the incentive of this review is to systematically report the state of the art of research regarding the impact of MWU instruction in early L2 teaching contexts. The review covers English, German and French research into typically developing monolingual children aged 5–12 learning an L2 in instructed teaching settings. Only two of the total results (n = 2233) met the inclusion criteria. Following quality assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and based on a narrative synthesis of available results, we cannot report trustworthy evidence of the effectiveness of teaching MWUs to young L2 learners. We highlight the lack of research evidence and conclude that existing research lacks robust evidence that MWU input already established in teaching contexts has a measurable effect on specific aspects of students' L2 attainment, such as productive skills. Although we promote MWU's potentially facilitating role in L2 development, we call for more classroom-based intervention research on MWUs in primary school contexts to enable much-needed evidence-based recommendations for L2 teaching to support L2 learning outcomes in primary schools

METAPHORICAL INSIGHTS: PHRASAL VERB KNOWLEDGE GAINS IN THE LIGHT OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR THEORY

The primary objective of this research is twofold: first, to elucidate the explicit teaching of phrasal verb constructions within the framework of conceptual metaphor theory, with a specific focus on the metaphorical aspects of particle usage, and second, to examine the correlation between such explicit instruction in phrasal verbs and the gains in implicit knowledge of these verb forms. This study employed a within-group pretest/posttest design as part of an experimental investigation involving 60 Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners who were students at the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) at a state university in Turkey. The research was analyzed across three dimensions: the achievement and retention of both receptive and productive knowledge of phrasal verbs, subconscious recognition and processing of lexical items, and the processing of phrasal verb meanings in a semantic context. To assess the first dimension, a multiple-choice test to gauge the students' receptive understanding of phrasal verbs and a c-test to measure their controlled productive knowledge of these verb forms were administered at three points: the initial pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest. A masked repetition priming lexical decision task was utilized to investigate the subconscious recognition and processing of lexical items. Additionally, a self-paced task was employed to scrutinize the participants' semantic processing of phrasal verb meanings. The study's findings revealed that the explicit presentation of phrasal verb knowledge within the conceptual metaphor framework significantly impacts not only the acquisition and retention of receptive and productive knowledge but also the subconscious recognition and processing of lexical items, as well as the semantic priming of phrasal verb meanings, which substantiates the influential role of conceptual metaphors in the lexical aspects of language learning.  Article visualizations

Frequency Effects of Multi-Word Sequences on L2 Learning : Unfolding the Complexity of L2 Syntax Modeling

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Writing in the Disciplines and Within-discipline Variations: A Comparison of the Formulaic Profiles of the Medical Research Article and the Medical Case Report

Research of formulaic language in academic writing has primarily investigated the use of single types of formulaic sequences in academic research articles in various disciplines. Studies in this line of research have revealed dramatic variations in the use of formulaic language across academic disciplines (e.g., Cortes, 2004; Hyland, 2008a; Jalali & Moini, 2014; Shahriari, 2017). However, there is evidence that discipline alone does not tell the whole story about linguistic variation (Gray, 2015). Different varieties of texts within one discipline may reflect different linguistic characteristics depending on specific communicative purposes (Biber & Conrad, 2009). It follows that the almost exclusive focus on the academic research article may “limit our knowledge of the discourse practices within discipline” (Gray, 2015, p. 19). Moreover, formulaic language encompasses different types of sequences (e.g., collocations, lexical bundles, frames, etc.) each of which only reveals a partial picture of formulaicity in discourse (Wray, 2005). Thus, studies that investigate the use of single types of formulaic sequences may provide only partial descriptions of the registers they investigate. Therefore, to better serve disciplinary writing instruction, there is a need for studies that provide more comprehensive descriptions of formulaic language in various registers within one discipline. The present dissertation takes a step in that direction by investigating within-discipline linguistic variation through the comparison of the formulaic profiles of two registers in the field of medicine: the medical research article (MRA) and the medical case report (MCR). These two registers that have both been reported in the medical literature to contribute to advancing research, clinical practice, and education in the field (e.g., Man et al., 2004; Rison et al., 2017). The study proposes a more comprehensive approach to the description of formulaic language and investigates the use of various formulaic sequences that have been described as accounting for the formulaicity of discourse. Such sequences include: (a) collocations, pairs of words that tend to co-occur, (b) multiword collocations, sequences of three or more words with strong mutual attraction (such sequences consist primarily of lexical words, most of which are technical terms), (c) lexical bundles, most frequent sequences of three or more words in a register, described as the building blocks of academic writing (Cortes, 2013), and (d) frames, sequences of three or more items with one variable slot. Frames have been described as allowing writers to make more creative use of formulaic language (e.g., Biber, 2009; Gray & Biber, 2013). The analyses of the formulaic sequences in the two registers often revealed structural similarities but noticeable variations in terms of the discourse functions of the sequences. Such variations reflect the differences in the situational characteristics of the two registers such as communicative purposes, nature of data and evidence, textual organization, to name but a few. The findings of the present study portray MRAs and MCRs as two distinct registers, thus highlighting the importance of investing within-discipline variations to better serve disciplinary writing instruction