How Good are Humans at Native Language Identification? A Case Study on Italian L2 writings

In this paper we present a pilot study on human performance for the Native Language Identification task. We performed two tests aimed at exploring the human baseline for the task in which test takers had to identify the writers’ L1 relying only on scripts written in Italian by English, French, German and Spanish native speakers. Then, we conducted an error analysis considering the language background of both test takers and text writers

Didattica delle lingue corpus-based

Competences required to a language teacher today go far beyond the simple knowledge of a foreign language, thus implying a proficient literacy in all the multiple aspects of the influence wielded by the web on the language itself, dealing with computer mediated communication, its emerging textual genres and the ongoing transformation of language related to the influence of technologies. In such a context being familiar with the tools offered by linguistic research is a priority for foreign language teachers, in order to observe, analyze and find new cues and opportunities for their didactics. This contribution is aimed at presenting tools and activities, showing how corpora can intervene in language classroom practice, thus being actively used by both teachers and students