Information packaging and constructional complexity

Challenges in motion event encoding in L2 German and L2 French

Abstract

Cross-linguistic variation in the spatial language domain is highly systematic, for instance, with respect to language-specific patterns of information packaging: Which aspects of events are habitually selected for verbalization and which linguistic means are available for encoding these aspects? Preferred configurations in terms of information packaging result in language-specific lexicalization patterns, for instance verb-framed (e.g., French) or satellite-framed (e.g., German). These differences may also result in diverging preferences regarding constructional complexity and information density, that is, the number of different components of motion events typically encoded in one utterance.

The corresponding routines of encoding in one´s first language (L1) are acquired early in childhood and strongly entrenched. In second language (L2) acquisition and use, these strongly entrenched L1 routines may lead to effects of so-called learned attention (Ellis 2006) with respect to information packaging and/or information density: If constructional repertoires, constructional preferences, and/or constructional complexity diverge between L1 and L2, restructuring may be challenging even for advanced L2 users.

This paper examines motion event encoding in retelling tasks by intermediate/advanced L2 users of German (L1 French; n=6) as compared to L1 users of German (n=6), L1 users of French (n=6), and intermediate/advanced L2 users of French (L1 German; n=6). It investigates L2 users´ constructional repertoires as well as potential learned attention effects with respect to information packaging and information density. It shows that intermediate/advanced L2 users of both German and French (1) display good restructuring, overall, in terms of constructional repertoires and information packaging (increasing/reducing manner salience), but (2) still struggle, to some extent, with specific aspects of information density (i.e., constructional complexity and the combinatorial potential of the linguistic means available in the target languages).