Constructions in the Classroom: Examples of a Phraseodidactic Approach for the Teaching of L2 French

Abstract

Language learners and language teachers alike have long recognized the fact that there is more to learning a second language than simply learning grammar and vocabulary words. Such an approach misses the fact that there are certain sequences that are preferred by the native speaker, despite the very large number of possible formulations in any given language. Many terms have been used to refer to these preferred sequences, including formulaic language and phraseological units. However, these sequences occupy a more or less important position depending on one’s theoretical underpinnings. In the current article, insights from an approach to language informed by construction grammar will be used in order to make suggestions concerning the teaching of constructions. The article will end with two specific and concrete pedagogical interventions for the teaching of French as a foreign language.