A SECCL-based Study Of Verb-Noun Collocations

Collocation is important for the achievement of native-like competence. It has been recognized as one of the ways that differentiate native speakers from foreign language learners. In the past 20 years, corpus-based researches on collocation have achieved a lot at home and abroad. However,researches and literature on the features of collocations in Chinese EFL learners'oral production are rather limited. This empirical study is designed to explore the characteristics of verb-noun collocations produced by Chinese English majors in Spoken English Tests. Based on the data from Spoken English Corpus of Chinese Learners (SECCL), the current study aims at addressing the following research questions:1. How are the verb-noun collocations distributed in the speeches produced by the test-takers in TEM-4 Oral Tests?2. Is the English majors'collocation competence correlated with their speaking proficiency? If so, is the correlation significant?3. Are there any similarities and differences between Chinese-speaking learners and native speakers'verb-noun collocational behaviors?The major findings of the study are as follows: firstly, of almost 2,000 verb-noun combinations produced, about 45.8% of them can be considered as free combinations, 43% restricted collocations and approximately 11.2% incorrect collocations. Secondly, there is a significant difference between High Group and Low Group students in their collocation competence. The collocation competence increases as overall speaking proficiency develops, but the occurrence of incorrect collocations in speech might exert a negative influence on the speaking quality, but not to a significant level. Thirdly, it has been found that the Chinese learners'uses of the chosen verb and noun in verb-noun collocation pattern are significantly different from those of the native speakers, and that the Chinese learners'typical expression can often be traced back to the expressions in Chinese when the Chinese equivalent of the verb or noun is used.Three suggestions are proposed in regard to teaching and learning collocations: raising both teachers'and learners'awareness of collocation; teaching and learning collocations in oral classes; utilizing the native speaker corpora accompanied by its corresponding computer program.