SLAT6830 The lexicon and L2 learning

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SLAT6830 The lexicon and L2 learning

• Semester 1, 2004
• Week 9 Lexical Phrases and Chunking

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Lexical phrases

• multi-word lexical phenomena that exist
  somewhere between the traditional poles of
  lexicon and syntax
• Nattinger DeCarrico, 1992, p1
• Part of the memorized sentences and lexicalised
  sentence stems that are needed for native-like
  control of the language (Pawley Syder, 1983,
  cited in Ellis, 1994)

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Lexical phrases

• Part of the memorized sentences and
  lexicalised sentence stems, possibly numbering
  the thousands, that are needed for native-like
  control of the language (Pawley Syder, 1983)
• Examples Can I come in? Whats for dinner?
  and Speak for yourself.
• (From Ellis, 1994, 84-85)

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Categories of lexical phrases

• Polywords. Short phrases which function as
  individual lexical items by the way, you know
• Institutionalised expressions. Sentence length
  invariable phrases, usually function as separate
  items How do you do? Give me a break.
• Phrasal constraints. Slot filler phrases. A___
  ago, see you___
• Sentence builders. Lexical phrases that provide
  the framework for whole sentences. I think that
  ___, Modal you VP (for me)?

I
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Sentence builders

• NP be-tense sorry to keep-tense you waiting
• gt Fully specified structure along with a nucleus
  of lexical and grammatical morphemes, realized as
  (a.k.a stacking)
• Im sorry to keep you waiting.
• Im sorry to have kept you waiting.
• Mr X was sorry to keep you waiting the other day.
• Etc.

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The role of formulaic expressions in SLA

• Reflect ritualised nature of much communication
• Embody societal knowledge
• Facilitate production
• Provide way to bootstrap L2 grammatical knowledge

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Are lexical phrases like vocabulary items?

• How are lexical phrases represented in the mental
  lexicon?

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Advantages of teaching lexical phrases in
conversations

• Allow learners to express ideas as rote forms
• Highly contextualized so easier to remember
• Facilitate interaction
• A source of entry into the grammatical system

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Lexical phrase approach to teaching conversation

• Beginning lesson.
• Present a single predictable situation centred on
  a common communicative function and offer a few
  simple but variable phrases for dealing with that
  situation
• Later.
• Introduce more complex phrases that express the
  same function.

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Teaching lexical phrases through exchange
structures

• Exchange structures expected sets of successive
  utterances in a conversation
• standard
• summons -- response
• nominating a topic -- clarifying (by audience)
• closing -- parting
• question answer
• advanced
• nominating a topic checking comprehension
• asserting accepting
• asserting endorsing
• asserting disagreeing Nattinger DeCarrico
  1992, p119-121)

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Indirect speech acts

• Direct speech acts form-function meaning
  derived directly from the surface form,
• Shut the door.
• Indirect speech acts form-function meaning not
  directly derivable from the surface form,
• Can you shut the door?
• Would you mind shutting the door?
• Would it be too much trouble to ask you to shut
  the door?

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Teaching indirect speech acts

• Can be extremely difficult for L2 learners
• Important to teach lexical and contextual
  variations.
• Nattinger DeCarrico, 1992, pp 128-129

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Lexical phrases in academic listening

• The importance of discourse organization markers.
• Global organization markers
• Topic markers, First of all
• Topic shifters, So, lets turn to
• Summarizers, To sum up

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Lexical phrases in academic listening

• Local organization markers
• Exemplifiers, For example
• Relators, Along the same lines
• Evaluators, The important thing is
• Qualifiers, It depends on how you define X..
• Aside markers, Where was I?
• The use of a particular marker depends on the
  lecture style

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Lexical phrases in academic listening

• The use of a particular marker depends on the
  lecture style.
• Conversational informal speaking and
  interaction with students
• Rhetorical Lecturer as performer
• Reading Lecturer reads from prepared notes
• Style switching within a lecture is common

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• End of slides Week 9 SLAT6830