Introduction: Special issue on knowledge and use of the lexicon in French as a second language

Daller, Helmut Michael; Malvern, David; Richards, Brian; Meara, Paul; Milton, James; Daller, Michael (eds).; Treffers-Daller, Jeanine

Abstract

This is the first volume which exclusively focuses on vocabulary acquisition of L2 learners of French. All other volumes on the L2 acquisition of French have so far ignored this dimension. The issue is timely, because of the growing importance of vocabulary in the SLA research agenda, but also because research into vocabulary acquisition appears at the top of a list of areas in which teachers of Modern Foreign Languages are most interested (Macaro, 2003: 6).
While it is difficult to assess the importance of all six articles for our understanding of lexical dimensions of language proficiency, it is clear that a key aspect of this volume is a methodological one: the tools and measures used in this study – many of which were developed by members of the M4 Applied Linguistics Network –make it possible to carry out valid and reliable analyses of learner’s knowledge across a range of national and educational contexts. The research community will also no doubt find it helpful to see how all tools and measures are evaluated in the different studies.

• Journal Article Type: Editorial
• Publication Date: Oct 21, 2008
• Deposit Date: Sep 17, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 10, 2016
• Journal: Journal of French Language Studies
• Print ISSN: 0959-2695
• Electronic ISSN: 1474-0079
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 269-276
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095926950800344X
• Keywords: lexicon, French, second language
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1007975
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S095926950800344X
• Additional Information: Additional Information : Jeanine Treffers-Daller is lead editor of this jointly edited special issue (80%). This article © Cambridge University Press.
• Contract Date: Apr 10, 2016