The development of referential activities and clause-combining as aspects of the acquisition of discourse in French as L2

Abstract

This article describes the development of temporal reference and clause-combining in the acquisition of French L2 by adult Moroccan Arabic L1 speakers. The contribution of iconicity and of transfer from L1 in this development is discussed. The path towards grammaticalisation is less clearly marked in the domain of clause combining than in the domain of temporal reference, where after use of lexical and pragmatic means, inflection on the verb develops. Grammaticalised subordination is rarely used, except for circumstancial clauses. Paratactic devices such as clefting and NP copy tend to be used for discursive functions such as the introduction of background information in narratives, for instance.

Syntactic complexity across proficiency and languages: L2 and L1 writing in Dutch, Italian and Spanish

“…On the basis of the findings of the studies that have been discussed above (e.g., Bardovi‐Harlig, ; Bartning & Schlyter, ; Neary‐Sundquist, ; Norris & Ortega, ; Ortega, ; Pallotti, ; Véronique, ; Wolfe‐Quintero et al, ), regarding our first research question (RQ1) we expect to find significant correlations between overall syntactic complexity and L2 proficiency. As hypothesised by Norris and Ortega (), an increase of L2 proficiency should result in learners using more coordinate and subordinate clauses at intermediate levels of L2 proficiency, but less at more advanced levels.…”

The effect of blended learning on the development of clause combining as an aspect of the acquisition of written discourse by Jordanian learners of English as a foreign language

“…This was achieved by completing activities, exercises, and online discussions on clause combining in English (the making of meaning). These activities were prepared in order to improve the participants' ability to form correct clauses in English using parataxis or hypotaxis (see Veronique, ). These activities also familiarized students with the correct connective phrases that should be used in clause combining in English, the differences between nucleus and dependant clauses, and how each of them are used in discourse.…”

“…Writing is regarded as a stumbling block for many students who are learning English as a second or a foreign language. The difficulty is not merely attributed to acquiring enough vocabulary that will enable students to convey their ideas effectively in writing; it also includes their knowledge of certain aspects of discourse, for example, clause combining (see Veronique, ). On the basis of our experience as teachers of English as a foreign language, some of the challenges facing teachers in Jordan are the English teaching methods followed at school and to a certain extent at university level (see Zibin, ).…”

“…The aim of any writing task is to produce a cohesive and coherent text whose elements are intertwined to contribute to shaping a certain idea. This suggests that the verbal outcome of any writing task, that is, a text, is shaped by the way by which information is condensed into clauses (Veronique, ). Two aspects, according to Hopper and Traugott (), have been identified to examine clause‐combining abilities: First is parataxis, which is concerned with placing different clauses one after the other without words or expressions that indicate subordination.…”

“…An example of hypotaxis is “John was awarded first prize after he had wowed the audience with his performance.” Hence, it can be seen that in hypotaxis, clauses are dependent on another main or nucleus clause. Veronique () suggested that clause combining can be analysed in terms of three aspects, namely, information packaging, syntactic integration, and discourse planning. This study focuses on how these clauses are integrated syntactically, that is, whether they are used in syntactically correct sentences, and on information packaging.…”