L1 influence on correct speech production of Polish EFL learners of English : an analysis of verb-noun and adjective-noun collocations

Abstract

In order to understand and improve the process of acquisition of collocations among second language learners, together with its difficulties, it is significant to explore the factors that effect this process. This thesis reports on a study that investigated the use of verb-noun and adjective-noun collocations in speech of Polish-speakers of English on three different levels of proficiency and the influence of L1 (Polish) on their production. The purpose of the study was to examine if Polish learners use number of collocations in their unplanned speech and which type of collocations is used more often. Another aims were to analyze the mistakes according to language transfer and to measure the differences between three proficiency levels. An electronic corpus of spoken samples, PELCRA, was used to conduct the study, with the analysis of conversations on B1, B2 and C1 level of proficiency, according to CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). The analysis of gathered data showed that collocations were not used by Polish-speakers of English as often as they would be used by native speakers. Moreover, noun-verb collocations were produced more frequently than adjective-noun collocations. Analysed mistakes showed influence of language transfer on both types of collocations. Finally, the findings revealed improvement between the proficiency levels, as the words combinations improved and became more sophisticated with each level. The study concludes with implications for teachers and further research.