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Article published In: International Journal of Learner Corpus Research: Online-First Articles

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L2 phraseological use during an attrition period

The potential role of peak attainment and L2 exposure

ORCiD logo with link | Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, BCL
 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Published online: 15 January 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijlcr.25009.edm
Abstract
This study explores if and how phraseological use patterns change over a five-year period for 14 learners of second-language (L2) Spanish. This period covers an academic year spent in a target-language environment, followed by a four-year attrition period. In addition to documenting potential change in usage patterns, we examine how peak attainment and continued L2 contact during the attrition period influence phraseological competence. The analysis focuses on one type of word combination, namely noun/adjective pairs, and measures change by looking at the frequency of noun/adjective sequences and the strength of the association between the two words. Results point to stability in phraseological competence, with no significant patterns of attrition being uncovered. These findings are interpreted against the backdrop of the small body of research on L2 lexical and, specifically, phraseological attrition, contributing to what is known about long-term learning trajectories in the lexical domain.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1L2 attrition
      • 2.1.1L2 lexical attrition
      • 2.1.2L2 phraseological attrition
    • 2.2L2 lexical attrition in the LANGSNAP corpora
    • 2.3The current study
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Corpus and participants
    • 3.2The dataset
      • 3.2.1Data coding
      • 3.2.2Data analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Change over five years
    • 4.2Change over an attrition period
    • 4.3Influence of L2 contact post-sojourn
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Data availability statement
  • References
References (44)
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