L2 Pragmatics in Computer-mediated Intercultural Interactions     
The goal of this project was to explore computer-mediated interactions between L2 learners of German and English and expert speakers of the same languages as a site for the learning and teaching of L2 pragmatic competence. The project compiled a contrastive learner corpus of computer-mediated learner and expert speaker interactions in both email and chat on a wide variety of contemporary topics such as family life, politics, student life, personal hobbies and interests, and features films. The corpus contains language data from approximately 200 learners of both English and German participating in 2-month telecollaborative exchanges over a period of five data collection cycles.

TEACHING AND LEARNING MATERIALS:

Teaching German Modal Particles: A Corpus-based Approach
by Nina Vyatkina, University of Kansas and Karen E. Johnson, Penn State
Teaching German Modal Particles: A Corpus-based Approach offers an approach to the challenges of teaching the usage of modal particles to learners of German that emphasizes awareness raising activities. The worksheets and handouts are sequenced to move learners through a gradual process of inductively noticing patterns of modal particle use, to defining modal particle meanings and usages, to analyzing modal particle use in context, and finally, to deductively using modal particles in extended communicative interactions. All worksheets are followed by answer keys which offer additional explanations about appropriate modal particle usage.

The materials have been created on the basis of a collection of authentic communicative computer-mediated interactions that took place between L2 learners of German and native speakers of German.

Teaching German Modal Particles: A Corpus-based Approach is intended for high-intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency and can be used as supplemental materials in a variety of college/university courses.

2007. CALPER Publications.
ISBN: 978-0-9793950-3-1
[ordering information]



PUBLICATIONS:

Vyatkina, N., & Belz, J. A. (2006). "A learner corpus-driven intervention for the development of L2 pragmatic competence". In K. Bardovi-Harlig, J.C. Felix-Brasdefer, & A. S. Omar (Eds.), Pragmatics and Language Learning (Vol. 11, pp. 315-357). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii at Manoa, National Foreign Language Resource Center.

Belz, J. A., & Thorne, S. L. (Eds). (2006). Internet-mediated Intercultural Foreign Language Education. Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle.

Belz, J. A., & Vyatkina, N. (2005). Computer-mediated Learner corpus research and the data-driven teaching of L2 pragmatic competence: The case of German modal particles (CALPER Working Paper Series, No. 4). The Pennsylvania State University, Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research. [download from left sidebar]

Belz, J. A. (2005). "Corpus-driven Characterizations of Pronominal da-compound Use by Learners and Native Speakers of German". Die Unterrichtspraxis, 38, 43-59.

Belz, J. A. , & Vyatkina, N. (2005). "Learner Corpus Analysis and the Development of L2 Pragmatic Competence in Networked Intercultural Language Study: The Case of German Modal Particles". The Canadian Modern Language Review/Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 62, 17-48.


Project Director 2002-2006: Julie A. Belz, The Pennsylvania State University
Research Assistant: Nina Vyatkina [now at Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Kansas]

NonDiscrimination Statement | Affirmative Action | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

© 2002-2008 CALPER and The Pennsylvania State University. All Rights Reserved.
 
The Pennsylvania State University CALPER South Asia Language Resource Center Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region National Capital Language Resource Center Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research National East Asian Languages Resource Center Center for Language Education and Research National African Language Resource Center National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition National Foreign Language Resource Center Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy Language Acquisition Resource Center National Heritage Language Resource Center National Middle East Language Resource Center Center for Applied Second Language Studies