Language Speakers and Collocations

Document Type : Research original ,Regular Article

Author
Manijeh Behboudi
Faculty Member of IAU, Tehran South Branch
Abstract
Combining words appropriately in a target language is one of the most difficult tasks for foreign/second language learners. By contrast, native speakers have extensive knowledge about which words should be used together, and they can accurately form the combinations of diverse words. Such knowledge is one of the vital competencies of native speakers. These combinations of words are referred to as “collocation”.
The proper use of collocations is crucial to sound like a native speaker, yet it is not so easy for non-native speakers of a Target language. Therefore, they should be taught systematically. However, “it is largely unclear how and which collocations should be taught”. Errors in vocabulary use can be caused by the differences between learners’ L1 and target language.
It is helpful for learners to be aware of the causes of possible errors while learning collocations. This article has an attempt to introduce collocations which are likely to cause learners to make errors due to differences their L1 and target language.
Keywords
collocation
native/non-native speaker
foreign/second language learner
source language
target language
teaching
learning
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  • Receive Date 12 October 2015
  • Revise Date 10 November 2015
  • Accept Date 07 November 2015