A corpus-informed study based on a contrastive analysis of stance markers in learner English: From corpus to classroom

A growing body of research has been conducted upon the recognition of the vital role of stance markers in any linguistic interaction and negotiating knowledge. Within the framework of Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis (CIA), this thesis adopted a corpus-informed approach to describe and uncover the role of epistemic stance markers in spoken interlanguage. The main goals of the present study are two-fold: 1) to investigate the use of epistemic stance markers in Turkish EFL learners' spoken production, comparing and contrasting them with the target structures in native speech 2) to measure the change, if any, occurring in epistemic stance marker use in L2 learners' oral performance as a result of corpus-informed treatments. In achieving these goals, the present study consists of two interrelated studies. Study 1 exploits the Turkish subcomponent of Louvain International Database of Spoken Interlanguage (LINDSEI) for non-native data, and as the native counterpart, The Louvain Corpus of Native English Conversation (LOCNEC). Study 2 was conducted in Fırat University, Elazığ with 39 students majoring in English Language and Literature. The findings of Study 1 revealed a rather distinctive picture of the similarities and differences between native and learner language regarding the commonly used epistemic stance markers in spoken language. As for Study 2, it was found out that a corpus-informed teaching methodology could be effective in teaching EFL learners how to express their epistemic stance appropriately in speech in the short term, however; the learners may need to revisit the target forms regularly in the long term to increase the degree of retention of epistemic stance markers. Key words: Stance, Epistemic Stance, Discourse Markers, Spoken Corpora, Second Language Acquisition (SLA), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), corpus-informed, contrastive interlanguage analysis (CIA), learner corpora.