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Article published In: When Corpus Linguistics meets acquisition of Korean: Implications on the use of Korean corpora for developmental research on Korean
Edited by Gyu-Ho Shin
[Korean Linguistics 18:2] 2022
► pp. 182–208

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The nature of L2 input

Analysis of textbooks for learners of Korean as a second language

 | University of Pittsburgh, USA
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 30 September 2022
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https://doi.org/10.1075/kl.20001.jun
Abstract
How language learners of Korean acquire knowledge on postpositions has been a long-standing research question in Korean language pedagogy due to their polysemous nature. The present study investigates the nature of input involving the locative function of the postposition -ey, one of the representative polysemous postpositions in Korean, through the frequency of its occurrence, types of verbs co-occurring with -ey, and keyness analysis. Sejong written and spoken corpora and two types of textbooks (eight volumes for each type: two volumes for four proficiency levels) for language learners of Korean are analyzed. Results show that iss- ‘to be/exist’ predominantly occurred with locative -ey in the Sejong corpora and a few verbs occupied a large proportion of the total usage. On the other hand, the most frequent verb was ka- ‘to go’ in all proficiency levels of the textbooks, with the exception of the fourth level of the second-type textbook. This suggests that, while the Sejong usage highlights its existential role, -ey for indicating destination is widely emphasized in the textbooks. Since the purpose of language learning is to learn the structure and usage of the target language, this study’s findings can offer guidance in setting and building pedagogical goals and directions.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Usage-based approaches to language development
    • 2.2Corpus studies on Korean postposition -ey in L1
    • 2.3Corpus studies on the Korean postposition -ey in L2
  • 3.Methods
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1L1: Sejong corpora
    • 4.2L2: Textbooks for learners
    • 4.3Comparison of L1 and L2 corpora
  • 5.Implications of the use of Korean corpora for developmental research on Korean language acquisition
  • Notes
  • Abbreviation
  • References
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