The Marking of Aspect in the Past Tense in French: the Role of Languaging Abstract Grammatical Concepts

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The Marking of Aspect in the Past Tense in French: the Role of Languaging Abstract Grammatical Concepts The marking of aspect in the past tense in French: The role of languaging abstract grammatical concepts Carl Andrew Ord BA (Hons), BCom A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies i Abstract Current second language (L2) learning research indicates a positive relationship between producing language to mediate cognitive activity, or ‘languaging’ (Swain, 2006a), and a deeper understanding of abstract grammatical concepts (e.g., Gánem-Gutiérrez & Harun, 2011; Negueruela, 2003; Swain, 2007; Swain, Lapkin, Knouzi & Brooks, 2009; Brooks, Swain, Lapkin, Knouzi, 2010). Abstract grammatical concepts (e.g., aspect, mood, voice) are scientific concepts, relating specifically to language, which “represent the generalisations of the experience of humankind” (Karpov, 2003, p. 66). This thesis aims to add to the current research by firstly exploring the relationship between languaging and learners’ understanding of the grammatical concept of aspect in French and English. Secondly, it will investigate the role of grammatical concepts in L2 development to determine how learners use concepts to mediate L2 production and how it influences their ability to communicate meaning in an L2. In this longitudinal study, five English speakers enrolled in an advanced-intermediate French course at an Australian university attended four one-on-one sessions with the researcher over seven weeks. Participants were given information about the grammatical concept of aspect in French and English as part of the languaging task (Swain et al, 2009) in the second session and their explanations of the concept at each stage of the study were analysed to determine their level of understanding. A spontaneous written production task was also completed by the participants in three of the four sessions followed by discussion with the researcher. During the discussions participants explained their choice of verb forms in their written responses and these explanations were coded to determine if the choice was based on prior instruction, knowledge of the grammatical concept or the meaning they wanted to communicate. Findings suggest that languaging about aspect led learners to a deeper understanding of the concept and that they used their developing understanding of aspect to mediate their choice of verb forms when communicating meaning in the L2. There was also evidence that, over time, an understanding of aspect transformed the way participants thought about communicating meaning in French. ii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 . I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. iii Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. iv Acknowledgements This research was made possible by a University of Queensland research scholarship. Special thanks go to my advisory team, Dr Noriko Iwashita, Dr Peter White and Dr Jeanne Rolin- Ianziti. My very greatest appreciation goes to Noriko for her tireless readings of drafts and her insightful comments (particularly towards the end), the teaching and research assistant opportunities that she provided throughout my candidature and the occasional free lunch. Her willingness to give her time so generously has been very much appreciated. Thanks to Peter for agreeing at very little notice to read draft chapters and reinforce the importance of academic register and formatting. If I had listened more attentively it would have almost certainly saved me a lot of time at the end. I am also particularly grateful to Jeanne who has been present at every stage of my university experience, from fostering my initial interest in French language and culture throughout my undergraduate degree to supervising my honours project and then coming out of retirement to join my PhD advisory team. Her suggestions during the planning and development of this research have been invaluable. I would also like to thank my friends and colleagues in French and applied linguistics, Dr Barbara Hanna, Dr Joe Hardwick, Dr Beatrice Atherton, Dr Juliana De Nooy, Dr Amy Hubbell, Associate Professor Greg Hainge, Dr Julien Chartier, Jean-Michel Ruinard, Professor Mike Levy, Dr Michael Harrington, Dr Paul Moore, Khoi Mai Ngoc, Claudia Vasquez, Yang Lei and Megan Yucel. Your advice and friendship is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank all the other staff at the School of Languages and Comparative Studies, both academic and professional, for all the help they have provided throughout my candidature. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the support of my family. Thank you particularly to my parents for instilling in me the value of education and hard work, without which I would never have started this project, and my wife, Shannon, without whose support and encouragement I am certain that I never would have finished it. v Keywords applied linguistics, second language acquisition, languaging, sociocultural theory Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 200306, French Language, 50% ANZSRC code: 130202, Curriculum and Pedagogy Theory and Development, 50% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 2003 Language Studies, 100% vi 'Nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person.' - Sherlock Holmes vii Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Why Concepts?...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose Statement ...................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Thesis Overview ......................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2 – THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK & LITERATURE REVIEW ................................ 7 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 7 2.2 Mediation.................................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 The Concept as a Tool for L2 Development .............................................................................. 8 2.4 Scientific vs. Everyday Concepts – Associated Terminology ................................................. 10 2.5 The Concept of Aspect ............................................................................................................. 10 2.6 Systemic Theoretical Instruction (STI) & Concept-Based Instruction (CBI) .......................... 11 2.7 Mediation to Internalisation – The Role of Languaging .......................................................... 14 2.8 Empirical Studies in Languaging ............................................................................................. 16 2.9 Interactionist Mediation – The Role of the Collaborator ......................................................... 23 2.10 Summary ................................................................................................................................ 25 2.11 Research Questions ................................................................................................................ 26 2.12 Justification for the present study ........................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 30 3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 30 3.2 Longitudinal Multiple Case Study ........................................................................................... 30 3.3 Participants
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