Chapter 1 the study of collocations

5.6  Pedagogical Implications 
 
 
The main goal of this study has been to investigate the acquisition of L2 
collocations.  L2 learners have been tested on how their collocational knowledge 
develops.  Overall, results show that students from the three proficiency levels 
tested were not very accurate in either the translation or the blank-filling tests.  
This is indicative of the L2 learners' general weakness in producing acceptable 
collocations noted by other researchers, and of the need to provide L2 learners 
with help for the improvement of their collocational knowledge. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The subjects in this study did not receive explicit teaching on collocations.  
The teachers' questionnaire (see Appendix F) showed that the teachers did not 
emphasise either the importance of collocations to their students, or the use of 
other resources in learning collocations.  The teachers also agreed that the 
treatment of vocabulary in TWE is inadequate.  The results of this project reveal 
certain weaknesses and needs on the part of L2 learners, and ways to utilise these 
results in L2 classrooms are suggested below. 
 
The results provide useful information as to how collocational knowledge 
develops in L2 learners.  Such information can be used for improving the treatment 
of collocations in ESL syllabuses.  The knowledge of which collocation types are 
acquired early in L2 learning, and which are acquired later, can help syllabus 
designers order the presentation of collocations to promote a step-by-step 
development of collocational knowledge. 
 
Specific collocational problems for L2 learners have also been identified.  
Students from all the proficiency levels had difficulties with lexical collocations 
that are fairly fixed and arbitrary (not predictable) in English, e.g. Verb Noun 
collocations such as ’draw conclusions’, ’earn a living’, ’take shorthand’, ’call a 
penalty’.  Such lexical combinations require specific collocational knowledge and 
native-like ability.  L2 learners have no means of telling which words collocate 
with which unless they are specifically taught about such collocations. 
 
The findings can also be used as a guide to help teachers decide how to 
handle the teaching of collocations in their classroom, e.g. teaching early acquired 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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types before late acquired types, or more regular and frequently used collocations 
before more fixed and idiomatic ones.  Also, by analysing teaching materials (e.g. 
readings) with respect to which collocation types they contain, teachers can assess 
the different teaching materials to be used with the different proficiency levels. 
 
Making teachers aware of the importance of collocations is not enough.  
Students also need to become aware of collocations and develop strategies for their 
acquisition.  By raising the students' awareness of the existence of collocations and 
their usefulness in L2 learning, teachers can help students take note of the 
collocations they come across and make more effective use of them.  Students 
should become aware that words do not occur in isolation, but in combination with 
other words.  Increased awareness of and attempt to use communicatively 
redundant grammatical structures may also lead to faster rates of acquisition and 
possibly higher levels of L2 attainment (Long 1988:120). 
 
The present study also showed that the L1 can influence the learners' 
knowledge of collocations, especially lexical collocations, that are different from 
their equivalent collocations in the learners' L1.  For example, Adjective Preposition 
collocations, such as ’afraid of [snakes]’, are Verb Det Noun collocations in Greek, 
‘foba;mai ta fi;dia’ [afraid-[Middle Voice Verb] the snakes].  As a result, the Greek 
learners in this study often translated the Adjective Preposition collocations leaving 
out the preposition.  Also, in coping with arbitrary Verb Noun collocations, such as 
’draw conclusions’, ’take an examination’, 'earn a living', subjects seemed to use 
their knowledge of Greek, e.g. *’take out conclusions’ ‘bga;zw sumpera;smata’ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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[take out conclusions], *’give an examination’ ‘di;nw exeta;seis’ [give 
examinations], *’take out a living’ ‘bga;zw to ywmi; mou’ [take out my bread].  
Such differences between the L1 and the L2 should be pointed out to the L2 
learners, and L2 learners should be encouraged to practise and use such 
collocations in order to sound more idiomatic in the target language. 
 
The accuracy orders reported here may also be relevant as a starting point 
for an index of L2 development (see Larsen-Freeman 1978b, 1978c).  That is, the 
students' language proficiency can be determined according to which collocation 
types they have acquired.  Such an index of development can also be used for 
designing language testing materials, and for the placement of students in a 
suitable proficiency level. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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