Abstract

Research has pointed to the importance of introducing social aspects of language at the beginning stages of second language (L2) acquisition (Yates, 2017 Yates, L. (2017). Learning how to speak: Pronunciation, pragmatics and practicalities in the classroom and beyond. Language Teaching , 50 (2), 227–246. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444814000238 [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This proof-of-concept study therefore sought to determine if an explicit pedagogical intervention consisting of various types of sociolinguistic awareness activities could be implemented with beginner learners of French to bring about changes in knowledge about form, meaning and use of French negation. A beginner university-level French course (N = 22) received systematic explicit instruction on language variation over a 15-week period, targeting the variable use of the negative morpheme ne in verbal negation in French. To assess the effects of instruction on declarative knowledge, participants provided L1 explanations about the target feature at the beginning (Time 1) and end of the course (Time 2).They also displayed application of the rule in writing at Time 1 and 2. Findings point to increased awareness of variable presence of ne and its use, as well as increased ability to use target features in their appropriate contexts of use, suggesting that introduction of sociolinguistic features at early stages of acquisition can benefit L2 learners without confusing or overwhelming them. Discussed are the potential benefits of implementing pedagogical strategies to increase beginner learners’ sociolinguistic awareness.

摘要

研究指出在第二语言（L2）习得开始阶段引入语言的社会方面的重要性（Yates，2017 耶茨，L. （2017年）。学习如何说话：课堂内外的发音，语用和实用性。语言教学，50（2），227 – 246。https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444814000238 [Crossref]，[Web of Science®]  ，[Google Scholar]）。因此，该概念验证研究试图确定是否可以对法语初学者进行由各种社会语言意识活动组成的明确的教学干预，以使有关法语否定形式，含义和用法的知识发生变化。初学者大学水平法语场（N = 22）在15周的时间内接收到的系统的明确指令语言上的变化，针对可变使用负词素的NE用法语口头否定。为了评估教学对陈述性知识的影响，参与者在课程开始（时间1）和课程结束（时间2）提供了关于目标特征的L1解释，并在时间1和2上以书面形式展示了该规则的应用。研究结果表明，人们对ne的存在及其使用的可变性的认识不断提高，并且在适当的使用环境中使用了目标特征的能力也得到了增强，这表明在习得初期引入社会语言特征可以使L2学习者受益，而不会使他们感到困惑或不知所措。讨论了实施教学策略以提高初学者的社会语言意识的潜在好处。