The development of lexical bundle accuracy and production in English second language speakers

Abstract

Six adult, second language (L2) English learners were observed over a period of one year to explore the development of lexical bundles (i.e., bigrams) in naturally produced, oral English. Total bigrams produced by the L2 learners over the year of observation that were shared with native speakers were compared using a frequency index to explore L2 learners' accuracy of use. The results of the study support the notion that bigram accuracy increases as a function of time spent learning English. This finding lends credence to the notion that the production of lexical bundles by L2 learners begins to develop in parallel with the frequency of lexical bundles used by native speakers. Like native speakers, L2 learners also begin to produce lexical bundles that serve pragmatic and syntactic functions. The study provides evidence for lexical growth in both form and function and strengthens notions about deeper levels of L2 lexical knowledge.