A Challenge for Contrastive L1/L2 Corpus Studies: Large Inter- and Intra-Individual Variation Across Morphological, but Not Global Syntactic Categories in Task-Based Corpus Data of a Homogeneous L1 German Group

Abstract

In this paper, we present corpus data that questions the concept of native speaker homogeneity as it is presumed in many studies using native speakers (L1) as a control group for learner data (L2), especially in corpus contexts. Usage-based research on second and foreign language acquisition often investigates quantitative differences between learners, and usually a group of native speakers serves as a control group, but often without elaborating on differences within this group to the same extent. We examine inter-personal differences using data from two well-controlled German native speaker corpora collected as control groups in the context of second and foreign language research. Our results suggest that certain linguistic aspects vary to an extent in the native speaker data that undermines general statements about quantitative expectations in L1. However, we also find differences between phenomena: while morphological and syntactic sub-classes of verbs and nouns show great variability in their distribution in native speaker writing, other, coarser categories, like parts of speech, or types of syntactic dependencies, behave more predictably and homogeneously. Our results highlight the necessity of accounting for inter-individual variance in native speakers where L1 is used as a target ideal for L2. They also raise theoretical questions concerning a) explanations for the divergence between phenomena, b) the role of frequency distributions of morphosyntactic phenomena in usage-based linguistic frameworks, and c) the notion of the individual adult native speaker as a general representative of the target language in language acquisition studies or language in general.

Exploring individual variation in Turkish heritage speakers’ complex linguistic productions: Evidence from discourse markers

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Research on multilingual speakers is often compared to monolingual baselines which are commonly treated as if they were homogeneous across speakers. Despite recent research showing that this homogeneity does not hold (Shadrova et al, 2021), this reproduces native-speakerism and monolingualism. Heritage language research, which established itself in the past two decades, is no exemption.

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“…Much recent research shows that this homogeneity does not hold (Castro et al, 2022;May, 2020;Shadrova et al, 2021). Depending on the linguistic phenomenon under investigation, these studies show that there is large variation between producers, and even within a single producer there is variation depending on vastly different communicative situations.…”

Exploring individual variation in Turkish heritage speakers’ complex linguistic productions: Evidence from discourse markers

“…This was the start of an ongoing push to rethink the idea of the native speaker, and a lot of literature has discussed alternative approaches (e.g., Bayram et al, 2019; Rothman & Treffers-Daller, 2014). Fundamentally, much recent research shows that the assumed homogeneity does not hold (Castro et al, 2022; May, 2020; Shadrova et al, 2021; Shin, 2022). More specifically, Shadrova et al (2021) investigated narrative production data in a well-controlled corpus of German native speakers which is often used for comparisons with L2 learners.…”

A comparative study on lexical and syntactic features of ESL versus EFL learners’ writing

“…Research findings show that different-level learners prefer using different lexical and syntactic structures in their written work, with beginners using high-frequency vocabulary, parallel structures, and simple sentences, intermediate learners tending to use low-frequency vocabulary and subordinate clauses, and advanced learners often using simple language structures (e.g., noun phrases) to express more complex ideas (Ortega, 2003;Vyatkina, 2013). Similarly, recent studies have found that there are significant differences in specific syntactic indicators between L2 learners and native speakers, with bilingual learners tending to use more parallel structures and native speakers tending to use more subordinate and complex phrase structures (Bulté and Housen, 2014;Mancilla et al, 2017;Shadrova et al, 2021). Notwithstanding difference in learners' level of syntactic development, high-quality compositions shared similar linguistic features, such as the use of more complex sentences and diverse phrase structures, as well as low-frequency vocabulary to convey meaning (McNamara et al, 2010).…”