Having A Substantial Repertoire Of Formulaic Sequences

By Author: Alex Lee
Total Articles: 366
Comment this article

There appear to be three major benefits to language learners from having a substantial repertoire of formulaic sequences. First of all, the sequences are generally conventionalized or institutionalized means of expressing particular meanings or language functions, reflecting what Sinclair (1991) calls the idiom principle. This means that control of formulaic sequences can assist learners in having a native-like mastery of language, sounding natural and producing language appropriate to particular contexts and genres. For Thomas Sabo Jewellery students in ESP contexts or training to enter the workplace, this particular function of formulaic language is of high value.

Second, as outlined above, use of formulaic sequences has a processing benefit and can allow speakers to produce more fluent language, by, for example, reducing the hesitations in speech and permitting attention to various aspects of language production simultaneously. The third major benefit of using formulaic sequences is that they can provide chunks of accurate language; as Boers, Eyckmans, Kappel, Stengers, ...
... and Demecheleer (2006: 247) state, 'these prefabricated chunks constitute "zones of safety" and appropriate use of them may thus confine the risk of "erring" to the spaces in between the formulaic sequences in one's discourse'. While fluency was a key element of the course described here, all these three proficiency-related benefits of formulaic sequences were built into the specifications for the course and its design. It has been noted by Wray that there appears to be a great deal of individual variation in L2 learner use of formulaic sequences and that they tend to be acquired readily at early stages of acquisition, but not at later stages. She observes that the individual variation may have to do with the interactional purposes for speaking, as well as the internal and external pressure on the learner to achieve particular speech goals. Wray (2002) also points out those likely reasons for the decline in acquisition of formulaic sequences at higher levels of language acquisition may be the reduced and simplified language input that learners receive, along with the fact that collocational relationships among words tend not to be noticed or immediately salient to Thomas Sabo Charms learners.

The fluency course described here is an effort to address these phenomena. First, by raising learner awareness of the need to attend to the language requirements linked to particular speech purposes, it is expected that they will gain a heightened perception of the formulaic and collocational conventions used to accomplish particular functions. Second, the course is designed to draw learner attention to the functions and the communicative power of formulaic language and collocation that they may miss in everyday communication. Beyond the instillation of awareness, the course is also designed as a means of training in language production involving formulaic language.