L1-L2 congruency as a criterion to identify collocations based on contrastive analysis

Abstract

In lexicon studies, L1-L2 congruency refers to the similarity in form and meaning of the way a word or phrase is said between two languages. If there is low L1-L2 congruency, the learning burden of a word or phrase can be higher. For example, an unacceptable structure could be produced when L2 (second language) learners directly use translation strategy to formulate English multiword units (MWUs). Thus, it would be ideal if such language items were identified and teachers brought students’ attention to them. This current study will use L1-L2 congruency as a criterion to identify English MWUs with low congruency with their Persian equivalents to create a resource for Persian-speaking English learners. A L1-L2 contrastive analysis was conducted on Rogers’ (2017) list of approximately 11,000 high-frequency MWUs. This list was translated, and the items were given ratings regarding their congruency in Persian. The results revealed that more than 60 per cent of the items examined were incongruent with their translations, demonstrating that L1-L2 congruency is a significant factor in selecting MWUs for Persian-speaking English learners. Thus, this study indicates that to avoid errors in MWU production, focusing on incongruent items may be beneficial for such learners.