BishtRef
Articles Journals Publishers Authors Subjects Most Cited New Papers Year Stats Open Access
journal article Open Access May 15, 2025

Conversations abroad: The effect of interlocutor type, relationship quality, and L2 proficiency on interaction in naturalistic settings

Tripp Strawbridge ORCID
The Modern Language Journal Vol. 109 No. 2 pp. 407-427 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1111/modl.12997
Abstract
AbstractStudy abroad (SA) is touted for providing language learners with regular exposure to a second language (L2) in naturalistic settings. However, few studies have examined how interaction occurs in situ. This study analyzed 13 hours of naturalistic dyadic conversations self‐recorded by 15 US‐based undergraduate sojourners studying abroad for one semester in Spain. Conversations were analyzed for interaction metrics previously posited as relevant to L2 acquisition in SA: speaking time, negotiation of meaning, lexical assistance, and corrective feedback. The study then analyzed how these variables were conditioned by interlocutor identity (host family [HF] member, local native speaker [NS] peer, and nonnative speaker [NNS] peer), relationship quality (emotional proximity, interaction frequency), and sojourner L2 proficiency. Results show that sojourners produce by far the most output in interaction with NNS peers while receiving significantly more corrective feedback from—and negotiating for meaning more frequently with—HF members and NS peers. Interaction variables were not conditioned by emotional proximity but were significantly affected by frequency of contact. L2 proficiency exerted a significant influence on interaction with HF members and NS peers, but not NNS peers. Results highlight the diversity of interaction types available to sojourners and the distinct role each plays in L2 development.
Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References
53
[11]
IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK AND THE ACQUISITION OF L2 GRAMMAR

Rod Ellis, Shawn Loewen, Rosemary Erlam

Studies in Second Language Acquisition 10.1017/s0272263106060141
[15]
Gass S. M. (2020) 10.4324/9781315181752
[27]
Lightbown P. M. (2013)
[37]
Ortega L.(2000).Understanding syntactic complexity: The measurement of change in the syntax of instructed L2 Spanish learners[Unpublished doctoral dissertation].University of Hawai'i.
[43]
Pica T. "What can second language learners learn from each other? Only the researcher knows for sure" Working Papers in Educational Linguistics (1995)

Showing 50 of 53 references

Metrics
2
Citations
53
References
Details
Published
May 15, 2025
Vol/Issue
109(2)
Pages
407-427
License
View
Authors
T
Tripp Strawbridge

Department of Modern Languages & Literatures Santa Clara University Santa Clara California USA

Cite This Article
Tripp Strawbridge (2025). Conversations abroad: The effect of interlocutor type, relationship quality, and L2 proficiency on interaction in naturalistic settings. The Modern Language Journal, 109(2), 407-427. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12997
Related

You May Also Like

Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety

Elaine K. Horwitz, MICHAEL B. HORWITZ · 1986

2,459 citations

Conceptualizing Willingness to Communicate in a L2: A Situational Model of L2 Confidence and Affiliation

Peter D. MacIntyre, Richard Clément · 1998

1,176 citations

Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language: The Japanese EFL Context

Tomoko Yashima · 2002

642 citations

We Acquire Vocabulary and Spelling by Reading: Additional Evidence for the Input Hypothesis

Stephen Krashen · 1989

479 citations

Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope's Construct of Foreign Language Anxiety: The Case of Students of Japanese

YUKIE AIDA · 1994

452 citations