Chapter 11
Sociostylistic variation in L2 French
What schwa deletion patterns reveal about language acquisition during study abroad
Using a mixed-effects model and sociolinguistic interviews, this study provides empirical evidence for the
emergence of targetlike patterns of phonological variation in L2 French learners during study abroad. Specifically, this study
examines the acquisition of a phonological variable demonstrating sociostylistic variation in L1 speech: variable schwa
deletion in clitics (/ə/ realized as [œ] or null, as in tu me dis [ty mœ di] ~ [tym di] ‘you
tell me’). Results demonstrate that variation patterns of L2 French learners are conditioned by the phonological context of
the clitic and that acquisition of variation follows a predictable order based on clitic type. Results also demonstrate that
time spent abroad and social networks with native speakers are significant predictors of L2 variation patterns.
Article outline
- Introduction
- The acquisition of sociolinguistic competence in L2 French
- Social networks and language variation
- Methods
- Participants
- Data collection
- Social network strength scale for study abroad
- Data coding: Dependent variable
- Data coding: Independent variables
- Data transcription protocol
- Quantitative analysis
- Results
- Linguistic factors
- Clitic type
- Following phonological context
- Preceding phonological context
- Extralinguistic factors
- Period of SA/interview #
- Social network strength scale (SNSS) score
- Discussion
- Linguistic constraints on schwa deletion: Clitic type and collocations
- Extralinguistic constraints on schwa deletion: Time abroad and social networks
- Conclusions
- Limitations and future directions
-
Notes
-
References
-
Appendix
References (51)
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Cited by (1)
Cited by one other publication
KENNEDY TERRY, KRISTEN M.
2022.
At the Intersection of SLA and Sociolinguistics: The Predictive Power of Social Networks During Study Abroad.
The Modern Language Journal 106:1
► pp. 245 ff.
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