ERIC Number: EJ1374223
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Feb
Pages: 37
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0090-6905
EISSN: EISSN-1753-6555
Variability in Article Use among Chinese EFL Learners: Effects of Semantic Contexts, Proficiency and Discourse-Mode
Qian, Leyi; Li, Kangxi; Cheng, Yan
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, v52 n1 p115-151 Feb 2023
The aim of this study is to shed light on the learnability regarding usages of three English articles ("a," "the" and zero) among Chinese EFL learners. To this end, three tasks were administered in a pool of 107 participants to examine the extent to which learners can accurately use articles across different semantic contexts as well as the effects of varying proficiency level and discourse mode on learners' article decisions. The results showed that both groups (Group Low and Medium) in this study were likely to commit few errors with respect to article usages that target definiteness and specificity than those in zero-licensing contexts. In addition, inconsistent findings were observed regarding the effect of proficiency level on the variability in learners' article choices. Though significant differences were observed between two discourse modes (exposition and argumentation), it is claimed that NP-licensing contexts rather than shift of discourse mode play a major role in explaining the variances in the accurate use of articles. Furthermore, the findings in the present study will also inspire pedagogical implications.
Descriptors: Semantics, Language Variation, Form Classes (Languages), Language Usage, Language Proficiency, Error Patterns, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Decision Making, Nouns, Phrase Structure, Accuracy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A