Interlingual development of Turkish adult learners of English: L1 vs. L2-Based communication strategy use

Interlanguage (IL) is accepted as being developed by fossilizing L1 or L2 items, thus utterances produced in IL generally contain erroneous forms. These erroneous forms cause idiosyncrasies surfaced by communication strategies (CSs) which learners resort to when their linguistic repertoire does not allow them to communicate flawlessly in the target language (TL). As errors in learner language provide considerable information about second language acquisition (SLA), this issue has been one of the main focuses of SLA research. This research is designed as a developmental study aiming to investigate possible effects of exposure to the TL on the use of CSs in both speaking and writing in English. In this study, 20 Turkish learners of English were observed throughout the 2011-2012 academic year to investigate whether CS employment in speaking and writing is affected by TL exposure. The participants were chosen from beginner level, and they designated their own topics they would speak and write about. Their oral and written performances on the topics were tested at the beginning prior to instruction, in the middle and at the end of the academic year to observe whether types and functions of CSs altered over time. The findings of this study show that participants resorted to different types of CSs in their speaking and writing tasks. As the nature of speaking is different from writing, total numbers of CS employment in speaking and writing tests indicate a significant difference. The comparison of CS employment in each test shows that learners? CS preferences changed over time in both speaking and writing. The results also indicate that use of L2-based CSs increased while L1-based CSs decreased as a result of exposure to the TL. Therefore, it is concluded that exposure to the TL may have a significant effect on the preference of CSs in terms of type and function. Despite not receiving any specific CS training, learners can make use of L2-based CSs according to their needs as long as their TL repertoire allows. The findings of this study have important implications for teaching English as a foreign language in reference to effects of language exposure on the use of CSs in both oral and written performances of L2 learners.