Dynamic Usage-based Principles in the Development of L2 Finnish Evaluative Constructions

Lesonen, Sirkku; Steinkrauss, Rasmus; Suni, Minna; Verspoor, Marjolijn

doi:10.1093/applin/amaa030

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The varied and flexible associations between the development of linguistic subsystems are indicative of the interconnectedness as a characteristics of complex and dynamic systems. An interesting observation which was reported several times is that more variability and fluctuation in second language development seems to correlate with increased proficiency (Gui et al, 2021;Huang et al, 2021;Lesonen, 2021). The study conducted by Zhang et al (2022) showed that among the three prototypes of learners, the prototype with constant variability in the development had more overall progress compared to the other prototypes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

A Systematic Review of Second Language Acquisition from the Perspective of Complex Dynamic System Theory

Behdarvandirad

2024

TAPSLA

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From the Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) point of view, second language development has unpredictable and non-linear patterns that vary from learner to learner. Keeping track of such dynamic development requires longitudinal studies with sufficient data points. The present systematic literature review attempts to present an overview on the previously conducted longitudinal studies that have investigated the development of second language subsystems from the CDST perspective. Starting from 1884 publications, the systematic searching strategy led to 45 articles which were examined in order to highlight the state of the art. The observations of the reviewed studies are conclusively supportive of the CDST principles in second language development. The synthesis of the findings of the papers will be presented and, finally, a multitude of suggestions for further research will be provided which can help future studies clarify the existing gaps that exist in the literature.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

A Systematic Review of Second Language Acquisition from the Perspective of Complex Dynamic System Theory

Behdarvandirad

2024

TAPSLA

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“…Language is used in social interaction to achieve certain communicative goals that vary from general intentions such as requesting help or sharing emotions to more specific goals (Schmid, 2020), such as getting across the idea that there are many lakes in Finland. Proficient speakers may choose among different kinds of conventionalized linguistic solutions in the speech community to achieve a certain communicative goal (e.g., Fernández-Domínguez, 2019;Lesonen et al, 2021;Schmid, 2020). Conventionalized links between communicative goals and linguistic forms are usually referred to as constructions (e.g., Goldberg, 2006).…”

Section: Investigating L2 Learners' Linguistic Means: the Onomasiolog...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation and variability in L2 learning trajectories: Learning the Finnish existential construction

Lesonen

Steinkrauss

Suni

et al. 2022

Journal of the European Second Language Association

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Taking an onomasiological approach and a dynamic usage-based perspective, this study explores how four beginning L2 learners of Finnish develop in expressing existentiality ('there is something somewhere') before and after instruction. Data were collected weekly over a period of nine months and examined for conventionalized and non-conventionalized constructions that express existentiality. As expected from a dynamic usage-based perspective, both inter-individual variation and intra-individual variability were identified. The initial repertoires of two of the learners were quite variable, as they used several different non-conventionalized constructions before settling on more conventionalized ones. In contrast, the two other learners did not independently try out different ways of expressing the targeted meaning but started to use the conventionalized Finnish existential construction only after pedagogical intervention. As one would expect from a usage-based perspective, some learners' initial repertoires included some item-based constructions that were similar to each other. As far as instruction is concerned, for all learners there was an increase in the use of the conventionalized construction after an explicit intervention, but the use was not morphologically accurate. The findings confirm two commonly held hypotheses in dynamic systems approaches: Learners own their own learning trajectories and initial trajectories are sometimes characterized by high degrees of variability because learners need to try out different strategies before they can adapt to the requirements of the new situation.

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“…One finding that is consistently emerging from the growing body of usage-based research is that the exemplar-based trajectory is not necessarily a path from "one to many" but can also be from "a few to more" in a process where constructions that are partially specific and partially schematic (for example, "Are you + ADJECTIVE?" in L2 English question formation) play an essential role across phases in development (Eskildsen, 2015, Eskildsen 2017, Eskildsen 2020aLesonen et al, 2018, Lesonen et al, 2020a, Lesonen et al, 2020bHorbowicz and Nordanger, 2022). However, recent research is showing that a usage-based trajectory may also be a matter of routinisation (Eskildsen, 2020a;Pekarek Doehler and Balaman, 2021).…”

Section: Longitudinal Conversation Analysis-based and Usage-based Studies In L2 Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embodiment, Semantics and Social Action: The Case of Object-Transfer in L2 Classroom Interaction

Eskildsen

2021

Front. Commun.

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Using conversation analysis and usage-based linguistics, I focus on a beginning L2 user in an ESL classroom and trace his use of a “family of expressions” which, from the perspective of linguistic theory, are instantiations of either the ditransitive dative construction (e.g., “he told me the story”) or a prepositional dative construction (e.g., “he told the story to me”). The semantics of both constructions denotes transfer of an object, physically or metaphorically, from one agent to another. Therefore, I investigate them as one type of object-transfer construction. The instances of the construction are found predominantly in instruction sequences, and I show how the L2 user co-employs talk and recycled embodied work that elaborates the deictic references of the talk and the relation of agent-object-recipient roles among them. Through my analyses, I will showcase the embodied nature of linguistic categorization (Langacker, 1987) but take the argument further and suggest that the semiotic resource known as “language” is a residual of embodied social sense-making practices (aus der Wieschen and Eskildsen, 2019). The study draws on the MAELC database at Portland State University, a longitudinal audio-visual corpus of American English L2 classroom interaction.

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Dynamic Usage-based Principles in the Development of L2 Finnish Evaluative Constructions

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

A Systematic Review of Second Language Acquisition from the Perspective of Complex Dynamic System Theory

A Systematic Review of Second Language Acquisition from the Perspective of Complex Dynamic System Theory

Variation and variability in L2 learning trajectories: Learning the Finnish existential construction

Embodiment, Semantics and Social Action: The Case of Object-Transfer in L2 Classroom Interaction

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