L2 English preposition use by Czech university learners: A learner corpus study

Abstract

This paper examines the use of prepositions in the L2 English speech production of L1 speakers of Czech. The data is sourced from a spoken corpus comprising forty c.15-minute interviews. L2 English preposition use was studied by means of potential occasion analysis, and the results show that prepositions pose a challenge to EFL learners. Careful scrutiny of the data revealed an increasing tendency toward preposition accuracy in speech across proficiency levels A2 to B2. Moreover, it is hypothesized that the participants’ incorrect EFL preposition selection is influenced by their L1 knowledge.