Learning a second language is a complex process that exceeds the acquisition of its structure and vocabulary. One of the major components of mastering a new language requires learners to become familiar and sensitive to the preference in language use by native speakers of certain sequences of words over others (Wray, 2000). It is the mastery of these word sequences that distinguishes novice from proficient L2 learners. Yet, there is still little agreement across studies on the number of words inhabit each sequence that worthy to define, the identification criteria, what to call them and how to teach them. In other words, it is difficult to identify a word sequence as being formulaic. On the one hand, some of the sequences are idiomatic (opaque
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Learners read many different texts more than they write and through reading they gain much of their knowledge. Reading is mainly the basis of other classroom work such as presentations or writing reports or assignments. The main concern regarding reading has always been text comprehension. Reading comprehension is defined by Pardo (2004) as “a process in which readers construct meaning by interacting with text through the combination of prior knowledge and previous experience, information in the text, and the stance the reader takes in relationship to the text” (p.272). However, most L2 learners waste a great deal of their time trying to understand each single word in a text in order to make sense of what they read and sometimes they nevertheless don’t understand it very well. This bottom-up technique in reading comprehension does not always go well, especially with long texts offered in EAP classrooms. Most universities, if not all, provide English for academic purposes (EAP) programs in order to prepare L2 learners for the first year of university. EAP courses use different textbooks with different authentic materials. As a measure of their academic ability, learners are required to understand texts beyond the print words. This could be a challenge for many L2 learners. Therefore, based on the bulk of research conducted on the importance of formulaic language in learning a second language, identifying the most frequent word combinations or formulaic sequences in these course materials would be of a great benefit for both teachers and learners. It would ease the reading process and help L2 learners react faster to any given text and turn their frustrating reading experience into a more beneficial one saving effort and
Learners read many different texts more than they write and through reading they gain much of their knowledge. Reading is mainly the basis of other classroom work such as presentations or writing reports or assignments. The main concern regarding reading has always been text comprehension. Reading comprehension is defined by Pardo (2004) as “a process in which readers construct meaning by interacting with text through the combination of prior knowledge and previous experience, information in the text, and the stance the reader takes in relationship to the text” (p.272). However, most L2 learners waste a great deal of their time trying to understand each single word in a text in order to make sense of what they read and sometimes they nevertheless don’t understand it very well. This bottom-up technique in reading comprehension does not always go well, especially with long texts offered in EAP classrooms. Most universities, if not all, provide English for academic purposes (EAP) programs in order to prepare L2 learners for the first year of university. EAP courses use different textbooks with different authentic materials. As a measure of their academic ability, learners are required to understand texts beyond the print words. This could be a challenge for many L2 learners. Therefore, based on the bulk of research conducted on the importance of formulaic language in learning a second language, identifying the most frequent word combinations or formulaic sequences in these course materials would be of a great benefit for both teachers and learners. It would ease the reading process and help L2 learners react faster to any given text and turn their frustrating reading experience into a more beneficial one saving effort and