Schedule: 2009-09-12 (15:00 - 15:45)
Parallel Session 2 (Room A-31)

Title: Spanish L2 null-subject development through SCMC
Authors: Marta González-Lloret
Abstract: The potential that SCMC has to promote L2 linguistic and interactive competence has been the topic of recent investigation in the field of CALL. Early research on CMC focused on its discourse to determine whether it was an “optimal environment for SLA” (Tudini, 2003), which contained features that had been found to promote language acquisition in face-to-face interaction such as negotiation moves, repairs, modification of input, pushed output,… during meaningful interaction. The results of these studies are somewhat mixed. While several found SCMC to be a productive environment to promote negotiation, others found the negotiations were minimal. One of the strongest qualities of SCMC as an environment for language learning resides in its potential to bring together students and L1 speakers of the language. Already in 1983, Long proposed that interaction between Ns-NNs was beneficial for language acquisition since it allowed student to modify the interactional structure of their output as a result of comparing their non-target like output with that of their interlocutors. A number of researches have investigated this potential that SCMC has to connect language learners and L1 speakers. Their results suggest that SCMC serves as an environment for the development of pragmalinguistic/sociopragmatic and linguistic competence. In line with previous research, the present study investigates the potential of a text SCMC tool for the development of L2 linguistic competence, particularly, the development of Spanish L2 null-subject use when engaged in interaction with an L1.

Spanish, in contrast with English, allows for the use of null-subjects, i.e. the absence of a subject when accompanying a finite verb which is morphologically marked to contain the subject information. In most Spanish utterances the “grammatical subject” is implicit in the morphology of the verb, and the subject is considered a “null-subject”. Although Spanish children learn to drop their subject pronouns at a very early age, adult students of Spanish tend to overgeneralize overt and make a non-native use of them. This study analyzed longitudinal data from a telecollaborative project between Spanish L2 students in a US university and Native speakers in Spain during eight weeks. Each interaction during this time was microanalyzed for instances of null-subject and over subject use by both the L1 speaker and the student and coded for correct or incorrect use of over and null-subject pronoun. The data revealed interesting patterns of evolution on the use of null-subject pronouns by the learners, who started with a large overuse of overt pronouns with finite verbs and developed to a more target-like use, very similar to that of their interlocutors. The results also indicate that learning to use the null-subject appropriately may require more than syntactic knowledge of the language. They also suggest SCMC provides a productive environment for language use where students can learn this feature of the language. The results of the study will be discussed in depth. Finally, several pedagogic implications for the use of SCMC as a tool for the development of L2 linguistic competence will be presented.
Keywords: CMC, linguistic competence, L2 Spanish, null-subject pronouns.

Main topic: Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)

Biodata: Marta Gonzalez-Lloret is a assistant professor at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa. She teaches courses in Technology and Language Learning at the Second Language Studies Department, as well as at the Spanish Division in Spanish language, Spanish linguistics, and L2 teacher training.
Type of presentation Paper presentation

Paper category Research

Target educational sector Higher education

Language of delivery English

EU-funded project No

Schedule:	2009-09-12 (15:00 - 15:45) Parallel Session 2 (Room A-31)
Title:	Spanish L2 null-subject development through SCMC
Authors:	Marta González-Lloret
Abstract:	The potential that SCMC has to promote L2 linguistic and interactive competence has been the topic of recent investigation in the field of CALL. Early research on CMC focused on its discourse to determine whether it was an “optimal environment for SLA” (Tudini, 2003), which contained features that had been found to promote language acquisition in face-to-face interaction such as negotiation moves, repairs, modification of input, pushed output,… during meaningful interaction. The results of these studies are somewhat mixed. While several found SCMC to be a productive environment to promote negotiation, others found the negotiations were minimal. One of the strongest qualities of SCMC as an environment for language learning resides in its potential to bring together students and L1 speakers of the language. Already in 1983, Long proposed that interaction between Ns-NNs was beneficial for language acquisition since it allowed student to modify the interactional structure of their output as a result of comparing their non-target like output with that of their interlocutors. A number of researches have investigated this potential that SCMC has to connect language learners and L1 speakers. Their results suggest that SCMC serves as an environment for the development of pragmalinguistic/sociopragmatic and linguistic competence. In line with previous research, the present study investigates the potential of a text SCMC tool for the development of L2 linguistic competence, particularly, the development of Spanish L2 null-subject use when engaged in interaction with an L1. Spanish, in contrast with English, allows for the use of null-subjects, i.e. the absence of a subject when accompanying a finite verb which is morphologically marked to contain the subject information. In most Spanish utterances the “grammatical subject” is implicit in the morphology of the verb, and the subject is considered a “null-subject”. Although Spanish children learn to drop their subject pronouns at a very early age, adult students of Spanish tend to overgeneralize overt and make a non-native use of them. This study analyzed longitudinal data from a telecollaborative project between Spanish L2 students in a US university and Native speakers in Spain during eight weeks. Each interaction during this time was microanalyzed for instances of null-subject and over subject use by both the L1 speaker and the student and coded for correct or incorrect use of over and null-subject pronoun. The data revealed interesting patterns of evolution on the use of null-subject pronouns by the learners, who started with a large overuse of overt pronouns with finite verbs and developed to a more target-like use, very similar to that of their interlocutors. The results also indicate that learning to use the null-subject appropriately may require more than syntactic knowledge of the language. They also suggest SCMC provides a productive environment for language use where students can learn this feature of the language. The results of the study will be discussed in depth. Finally, several pedagogic implications for the use of SCMC as a tool for the development of L2 linguistic competence will be presented.
Keywords:	CMC, linguistic competence, L2 Spanish, null-subject pronouns.
Main topic:	Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)
Biodata:	Marta Gonzalez-Lloret is a assistant professor at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa. She teaches courses in Technology and Language Learning at the Second Language Studies Department, as well as at the Spanish Division in Spanish language, Spanish linguistics, and L2 teacher training.
Type of presentation	Paper presentation
Paper category	Research
Target educational sector	Higher education
Language of delivery	English
EU-funded project	No