A comparative study of English aspectual adverbs: Native speaker usage versus L2 learner understanding

초록

This study investigated the frequency of English aspectual adverbs in a native speaker corpus and examined how Korean L2 learners understood their use. The research utilized the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and collected data from 54 learners through an online survey. Using Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman’s (2016) classification of adverbs within the verb tense-aspect system, the study found that the frequency distribution of aspectual adverbs in the COCA did not align with their categorization of tense- and aspect-related adverbs. However, Korean L2 learners’ comprehension of these adverbs aligned with the prescriptive framework outlined by Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman rather than the actual usage patterns observed in the COCA. By highlighting the discrepancies between corpus-based frequency data and learner perception, this study offers insights that may enhance linguists’ and English language educators’ understanding and pedagogical approaches to these adverbs.

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