Theme session: "Constructionist approaches to language teaching"

Cornelia Wermuth is joint first author (the authors are alphabetically listed).Recent research in foreign language teaching (FLT) and learning (FLL) has widely recognized the need to focus not only on what should be learned but also on how learning processes can be fostered (Boers et al. 2010; Herbst 2016). In learning a foreign language the use of both authentic language data and larger linguistic sequences seem to play a central role (see among others Boers 2011, Nattinger & DeCarrico 1992, Wong-Fillmore 1976, or Wray 2002) next to the communicative competence both in general and more specialized settings (Boers 2011; De Knop et al. 2015). A Construction Grammar (CxG) based approach can contribute in a substantial way to optimizing the process of learning a foreign language (compare Ellis & Cadierno 2009, Ellis et al. 2016, and Robinson & Ellis 2008). In this framework, most studies are based on Goldberg’s (1995 and 2006) model, which defines constructions as conventional form-meaning mappings with different degrees of abstractness and open slots to be filled. Having a meaning of their own, such abstract constructions enable learners to infer the meaning of new constructional instantiations from previous knowledge associated with these constructions. This assumption is highly relevant for both teaching and learning foreign language structures. But CxG has more to offer to FLT and FLL, e.g. the definition of semantic links between constructions or the description of a constructicon. Still, except for the volume edited by De Knop & Gilquin (2016), up to now little research has been done on the usefulness of the construction-based approach in the context of FLT and FLL. The thematic session wants to make up for this deficit and to deal among others with the following questions: What does the mental representation of the L1 and L2 constructions look like and to what extent do they interact with each other? In how far can insights from research into embodiment and metaphors contribute to optimizing construction-based teaching approaches? How can form-meaning mismatches between L1 and L2 constructions be presented to learners in order to facilitate L2 language learning? How can the most relevant constructions of a language (both L1 and L2) be defined and how useful is a constructicon of the foreign language? What is the role of a construction-based approach in teaching and learning specialized languages? Against this backdrop, the present introductory talk to the theme session will examine the contribution of the most advanced research in the field of applied cognitive linguistics to answering some of these questions. Furthermore, it will explore some learning and teaching pathways in creating synergies between different methodological approaches in order to leverage and open up new perspectives for construction-based foreign language teaching.status: publishe