Learner Language Systematicity and Variability
Posted by Agustina and classified in Electronics
Written on in 
English with a size of 2.38 KB
Why Learner Language is Systematic
Learner language is systematic because, at a particular stage of the learning process, the student uses the same grammatical structure consistently, although it is often different from that employed by native speakers. Learners use their linguistic resources in predictable ways.
Why Learner Language is Variable
Learner language is variable because, at any given stage of development, learners sometimes employ one form and sometimes another. Therefore, one day they can say one sentence correctly, but the following day they can say the same sentence with some mistakes.
Can Variability Be Systematic?
Yes, it can be systematic because we can predict and explain when our students are going to use one form and when another.
Variability and Linguistic Context
Learners vary in their use of the second language (L2) according to linguistic context. In one context, they use one form, while in other contexts, they use alternate forms. One linguistic form can trigger the use of another form.
Example: In one study, it was found that learners tend to use the forms of the verb "to be" (for example, "is" or "'s") with pronoun subjects, while "be" was more likely to be omitted with noun subjects (for example, "teacher not here").
Variability and Situational Context
Learners also vary the linguistic forms they use in accordance with the situational context. In this respect, learners are not different from native speakers. When they talk to friends, they tend to speak informally, using colloquial expressions. In contrast, when they are talking to someone they do not know very well, they tend to use more formal language.
Variability and Psycholinguistic Context
Another important factor that relates to variability is the psycholinguistic context (whether students have time to plan their production). If we ask a student to give a spontaneous speech about a certain topic and then ask him to write an essay about that topic while giving him a week to write it, the choice of words, content, organization, and mistakes made by the student are probably not going to be the same due to the fact that for one of the tasks he had time to plan and for the other he did not.