The Effects Of Input Frequency On Chinese EFL Learners’ Acquisition Of Multi-word Verbs

Since N. Ellis’s (2002a) reinstatement of the importance of input frequency in language processing, research has been emerging on the topic. On the basis of input frequency theories and previous empirical studies, this paper aims to investigate the effects of input frequency on EFL learners’acquisition of multi-word verbs (MWVs), a large and important class of English verbs in which a single verb-word works in close association with one or more other words. This study looked into the effects of input frequency on EFL learners’acquisition on MWVs in the aspects of receptive knowledge and productive knowledge. Furthermore, it analyzed the effects of input frequency under two different modes including under the same context which I called verbatim repetition, and under different contexts as I called varied repetition.Two classes of66second year high school students from Shigang High School in Nantong took part in the study, one class receiving verbatim repetition as group one and the other receiving varied repetition as group two. Specifically, group one read the same list of sentences for six times. They were exposed to14different sentences including ten sentences, each containing a target MWV, and four distractors. Group two read six different lists composing84different sentences. Both groups received tests after every two exposures, including filling in blanks testing productive knowledge, and English-Chinese translation checking receptive knowledge. Items in each test were the same but reorganized. Their scores were submitted to SPSS for analysis. For better interpretation of the results, four students from each class were invited to have interviews.Data analysis yielded the following results. First, input frequency had effects on the acquisition of MWVs. Participants’scores kept increasing from the first test to the third test. Second, input frequency exerts more effects on learners’acquisition of MWVs in the aspect of productive knowledge than receptive knowledge. Third, two modes of input frequency including verbatim repetition and varied repetition have different effects on EFL learners’acquisition of MWVs. Varied repetition helped learners more than verbatim repetition in terms of the acquisition of MWVs.These findings have both theoretical and pedagogical implications. Theoretically, the results support N. Ellis’s (2002a) proposal that input frequency has effects on the acquisition of formulaic sequences. It further proves the importance of the effects of input frequency. Based on these findings, it is hoped that this study can provide practical implications for language teachers to appropriately integrate the effects of input frequency into the teaching of MWVs.