L 'acquisition de la variation native par Jesapprenants L2 pendant un séjour dans lacommunaute linguistique native et dans la salle declasse: Le cas des apprenants irlandais du Fran~aislangue seconde

Abstract

This article treats the acquisition of native speaker
variation by Irish learners of French as a second language in a
social context. It studies the long term effects of a stay in the speech
community and further learning in the classroom. It explores the
impact of formal learning on students who have attained a
considerable level of socio-linguistic competence during a Study
Abroad (SA). To date there is little research on the long term effects
of SA. Results show that gains made during SA are maintained
even after a further year in the classroom. Conclusions are based
on a quantitative analysis of data collected at three stages of
acquisition: before and after a stay abroad, and finally after a
further year at University. Unlike Canadian immersion learners,
the Irish subjects are traditional classroom learners.