Lexically specific vs. productive constructions in L2 Finnish

Abstract

It is assumed from a usage-based perspective that learner language constructions emerge from natural language use in social interaction through exemplar learning. In L1, young learners have been shown to develop their constructions from lexically specific, formulaic expressions into more productive, abstract schemas. A similar developmental path has been shown for L2 development, with some exceptions. The aim of the current study is to explore to what extent the default assumption holds for L2 learning. The development of two constructions was traced in four adults learning L2 Finnish. Free-response data, collected weekly over a period of 9 months, were used to investigate the productivity of the constructions. The results show that, contrary to the traditional assumption, L2 learners do not start off with only lexically specific expressions, but that both lexically specific and more productive constructions are used from the beginning. Our results therefore suggest that, for educated adult L2 learners, the schema formation can happen rather quickly and even without the repetition of a specific lexical sequence.

Epistemic constructions in L2 Norwegian: a usage-based longitudinal study of formulaic and productive patterns

“…i n l 2 n o r w e g i a n As discussed in Section 2.1, Lesonen et al (2020a) have provided a framework for the investigation of the schematization process, reflecting how new linguistic material emerges and develops from an L2 perspective. By conceptualizing the schematization process as a continuum, they distinguished between four different steps moving from 'fixed lexically specific (formulaic)' to 'mostly formulaic' (with one open slot) and via 'semi-schematic' (with more than one open slot) to 'fully schematic, productive and variable'.…”

“…Researchers have suggested that construction learning evolves from lexically specific utterances, that is fully fixed expressions such as Jeg vet ikke 'I don't know' through semi-fixed patterns like Jeg vet ikke X 'I don't know X', to fully abstract and schematic patterns, such as SUBJ + VERB + OBJ (e.g., Tomasello, 2003;Ellis & Ferreira-Junior, 2009a). This path of learning has been referred to as 'the usagebased learning trajectory' (see Roehr-Brackin, 2014;Lesonen et al, 2020a). Fixed expressions, also called formulas, are recurring fixed sequences of words used with similar communicative functions, which may occur as an independent utterance or as a basis for a specific instantiation of a construction (Eskildsen, 2009).…”

“…However, researchers have also found that some patterns appear to schematize rapidly and be productive from the start (Roehr-Brackin, 2014;Lesonen et al, 2020a). In a study of Finnish evaluative constructions with tykätä 'like' and haluta 'want', Lesonen et al (2020a) found that development only to a very limited extent emerged from lexically specific patterns.…”

“…However, researchers have also found that some patterns appear to schematize rapidly and be productive from the start (Roehr-Brackin, 2014;Lesonen et al, 2020a). In a study of Finnish evaluative constructions with tykätä 'like' and haluta 'want', Lesonen et al (2020a) found that development only to a very limited extent emerged from lexically specific patterns. Similarly, Roehr-Brackin (2014) documented that, among the German verbs gehen 'go' and fahren 'go by vehicle', only fahren followed a path from lexically specific to more productive abstract patterns.…”

“…Researchers have suggested that second language development, like first language development (Tomasello, 2003;Dabrowska & Lieven, 2005), starts out from lexically specific utterances that gradually schematize (Ellis, 2002;Eskildsen, 2009Eskildsen, , 2012Eskildsen, , 2015, rather than being productive and abstract from the start. Still, the L2 research is not fully consistent in this respect, and several studies have pointed out that some constructions are used with a high degree of productivity from early on (Roehr-Brackin, 2014;Eskildsen, 2015;Lesonen, Steinkrauss, Suni, & Verspoor, 2020a), whereas others develop from fixed and formulaic expressions. On the other hand, since learners do not always move beyond semi-fixed patterns, Eskildsen (2009) has proposed that full schematization may not be the endpoint of L2 development.…”