Canonical Construction Sequences in Junior High School English Textbooks and Negative Conceptual Transfer

Abstract

This paper describes canonical construction sequences (e.g., States/SVC (be) + States/SVC (be)) in English textbooks and estimates their potential frequency effects on Japanese EFL learners' interlanguage development. First, actual frequencies of construction sequences in eighteen junior high school textbooks are described in terms of a paired cognitive linguistic construction sequence in each lesson (e.g., I have a toy in my bag. This is the toy. → Possession/SVO (have) + States/SVC (be)). Second, actual distributions of construction sequences are pseudo-longitudinally confirmed across grades; furthermore, potential accumulated frequency effects of frequent construction sequences on Japanese EFL learners' interlanguage development are estimated based on the distributional data. Finally, assumingly due to conceptual conflicts and blendings between event schemata (e.g., States & Possession), Japanese EFL learners' potential problems and errors in learning canonical constructions are discussed.