A Study Of The Role Of Patterned Chunks In Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition By Chinese EFL Learners

In language processing system, syntactic competence permits grammatical strings or sentences to be generated word by word, but not all grammatical sentences can perform any functions, only certain of these syntactically correct strings or sentences are assigned particular functions in particular context. Some phrases and expressions have become conventionalized as more or less unanalyzed composites of form and function. By acquiring hundreds of thousands of such form/function composites, termed "patterned chunks" in this thesis, as many western linguists advocate, one can achieve the ideal marriage of linguistic competence and performance.However, up till now, empirical research in this area is rare, especially in China. This thesis attempts to verify western researchers' statements about the relationship between acquisition of patterned chunks and learning outcomes through quantitative and qualitative study and tries to make some new contributions to it.The present study addresses the following three research questions:1. What are the learners' beliefs in patterned chunks?2. How is acquisition of patterned chunks related to learning outcomes?3. What is the function of patterned chunks in spoken and written discourse? As it is expected, learners hold a strong belief in learning patterned chunks.There is high correlation between acquisition of patterned chunks and vocabulary and structure performance. There are many advantages for learners to use chunks in spoken and written discourse. The study suggests that we place patterned chunks in the center of the concerns of linguistics and SLA theory. Finally, the thesis presents some pedagogical implications and areas for further research.