Second and foreign language learners: The effect of language exposure on the use of English phrasal verbs

Abstract

This study investigates the possible effect of language exposure on the use of multiword units, and more precisely phrasal verbs with up. It compares two learner populations that receive different types and amounts of input, namely, learners of English as a second language, who get exposed to English in various everyday contexts, and learners of English as a foreign language, whose main source of exposure to English is limited to language classes. The study is based on the analysis of written and spoken corpora, including reference corpora of native English. It considers the frequency of phrasal verbs, the structures they occur in, and the verbs used with the particle. The results show that the two groups of learners present some similarities, including a tendency to keep the verb and the particle next to each other even when an object could easily be inserted in-between. However, they also differ from each other in ways that could reflect their type and degree of exposure to English, with learners of English as a second language generally behaving in more native-like ways than learners of English as a foreign language. The article considers the multiword status of phrasal verbs, and in particular particle placement, among two populations of learners who differ in the type and amount of input they receive in the target language. There appears to be a stronger sense of unity between the verb and the particle of phrasal verbs for learners than for native speakers of English. Learners should be made aware of the contexts that favour particle mobility.