Usage-Based Approaches to Second Language Acquisition: Crosslinguistic Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

We are happy to invite contributions to a Special Issue of Languages on “Usage-Based Approaches to Second Language Acquisition: Crosslinguistic Perspectives”.

In this Special Issue, our aim is to bring together scholars who utilize usage-based approaches to second language acquisition (SLA). Specifically, we invite articles that involve research that takes into account a crosslinguistic perspective of SLA. Our scope is intentionally broad, encompassing various topics that fall within this overarching theme.

At the heart of usage-based approaches lies the belief that language knowledge is built upon actual language usage and the generalizations derived from these usage events (Bybee, 2010; Croft, 1991, 2001; Givón, 1995; Goldberg, 2005). In the field of first language acquisition, naturalistic and experimental studies have revealed that grammar develops as children construct linguistic patterns based on their analysis of recurring sequences of language, utilizing cognitive and sociocognitive abilities (Ambridge & Lieven, 2011; Dabrowska & Lieven, 2005; Theakston & Lieven, 2017; Tomasello, 2003).

With the proposed item-based path of language learning, usage-based approaches hold promise for theories of second language (L2) learning. Usage-based approaches have been adopted as a guiding framework for investigating longitudinal (Eskildsen, 2009; Mellow, 2006) and cross-sectional (Sung & Kim, 2022; Zeng et al., 2023) data on L2 learning. Previous research has also provided experimental evidence supporting the idea that learning is influenced by the frequency distribution of exemplars and the salience of their form and functions (Crossey et al., 2019; Ellis, 2008; Murakami & Ellis, 2022; Römer et al., 2014; Zhao & Fan, 2021).

Although previous L2 studies employing usage-based approaches have provided valuable insights, the majority of these studies have concentrated on the L2 acquisition of English (For such concentration within a few languages researched in Applied Linguistics, see Bylund et al., 2023). Consequently, it is difficult to separate the proposed learning mechanisms from language-specific content. Crosslinguistic comparisons allow us to disentangle these confounds. With a better understanding on the impact of crosslinguistic variations on language acquisition outcomes, we can lay claim to a more representative account of SLA (see Blasi et al., 2022; Kidd & Garcia, 2022; Singh, 2022 for such calls in cognitive science/first language acquisition). The significance of input frequency and prototypes in a given language ascribed to in usage-based learning approaches will offer effective guiding principles for developing theories for L2 learning and processing (Casenhiser & Goldberg, 2005).

Accordingly, the primary inquiry of this Special Issue revolves around the extent to which language use or exposure patterns impact language acquisition and learning from a crosslinguistic perspective. Our aim is to gather submissions that address this question and encompass a range of linguistic aspects and diverse languages. However, we also invite studies on the L2 acquisition of English if they have crosslinguistic relevance (see Christiansen et al., 2022). We invite experimental and corpus-based studies, and studies with other pertinent methodologies, including qualitative methods such as those used in sociocultural theory. Furthermore, we welcome theoretical reviews that present compelling arguments either in favour of or against the usage-based linguistics framework in the context of SLA. Through this Special Issue, we aspire to offer a comprehensive and diverse look into the advancements made in this field in recent years.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the chief Guest Editor ([email protected]) or to the Languages Editorial Office ([email protected]) preferably before 31 August 2024. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review.

References

Ambridge, B., & Lieven, E. V. M. (2011). Child language acquisition: Contrasting theoretical approaches. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975073.

Blasi, D. E., Henrich, J., Adamou, E., Kemmerer, D., & Majid, A. (2022). Over-reliance on English hinders cognitive science. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 26(12), 1153–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2022.09.015.

Bybee, J. L. (2010). Language, Usage and Cognition. Cambridge University Press.

Bylund, E., Khafif, Z., & Berghoff, R. (2023). Linguistic and geographic diversity in research on second language acquisition and multilingualism: An analysis of selected journals. Applied Linguistics, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amad022.

Casenhiser, D., & Goldberg, A. E. (2005). Fast mapping between a phrasal form and meaning. Developmental Science, 8(6), 500–508. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.00441.x.

Christiansen, M. H., Kallens, P. C., & Trecca, F. (2022). We need a comparative approach to language acquisition: A commentary on Kidd and Garcia (2022). First Language, 42(6), 751–755. https://doi.org/10.1177/01427237221093847.

Croft, W. (2001). Radical Construction Grammar: Syntactic Theory in Typological Perspective. Oxford University Press.

Crossley, S. A., Skalicky, S., Kyle, K., & Monteiro, K. (2019). Absolute frequency effects in second language lexical acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(04), 721–744. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263118000268.

Dąbrowska, E., & Lieven, E. (2005). Towards a lexically specific grammar of children’s question constructions. Cognitive Linguistics, 16(3), 437–474. https://doi.org/10.1515/cogl.2005.16.3.437.

Ellis, N. C. (2008). The dynamics of second language emergence: Cycles of language use, language change, and language acquisition. The Modern Language Journal, 92(2), 232–249. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2008.00716.x.

Eskildsen, S. W. (2009). Constructing another language—Usage-based linguistics in second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 30(3), 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amn037.

Givón, T. (1995). Coherence in text vs. Coherence in mind. In M. A. Gernsbacher & T. Givón (Eds.), Typological Studies in Language (Vol. 31, p. 59). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.31.04giv.

Goldberg, A. (2005). Constructions at work: The nature of generalization in language (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268511.001.0001.

Kidd, E., & Garcia, R. (2022). How diverse is child language acquisition research? First Language, 42(6), 703–735. https://doi.org/10.1177/01427237211066405.

Mellow, J. D. (2006). The emergence of second language syntax: A case study of the acquisition of relative clauses. Applied Linguistics, 27(4), 645–670. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/aml031.

Murakami, A., & Ellis, N. C. (2022). Effects of availability, contingency, and formulaicity on the accuracy of English grammatical morphemes in second language writing. Language Learning, 72(4), 899–940. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12500.

Römer, U., O’Donnell, M. B., & Ellis, N. C. (2014). Second language learner knowledge of verb-argument constructions: Effects of language transfer and typology. The Modern Language Journal, 98(4), 952–975. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12149.

Singh, L. (2022). From information to action: A commentary on Kidd and Garcia (2022). First Language, 42(6), 814–817. https://doi.org/ps://doi.org/10.1177/01427237221090024.

Sung, M.-C., & Kim, H. (2022). Effects of verb–construction association on second language constructional generalizations in production and comprehension. Second Language Research, 38(2), 233–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658320932625.

Theakston, A., & Lieven, E. (2017). Multiunit sequences in first language acquisition. Topics in Cognitive Science, 9(3), 588–603. https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12268.

Tomasello, M. (2005). Constructing a language: A usage-based theory of language acquisition. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv26070v8.

Zeng, X., Shirai, Y., & Chen, X. (2023). A corpus-based study of the acquisition of the English progressive by L1 Chinese learners: From prototypical activities to marked statives. Linguistics, 61(3), 749–778. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2020-0199.

Zhao, H., & Fan, J. (2021). Modelling input factors in second language acquisition of the English article construction. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 653258. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.653258.

Dr. Sanako Mitsugi
Dr. Zoe Pei Sui Luk
Dr. Nozomi Tanaka
Dr. Helen Zhao
Prof. Dr. Yasuhiro Shirai
Guest Editors

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• usage-based approaches
• second language acquisition (SLA)
• crosslinguistic perspectives