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Anita Malmqvist
This article reports on a small-scale study involving adult L1 Swedish learners of L3 German. The main aim of the study was to investigate the effects of group interaction on written German output employing the dictogloss technique. Three short texts were selected for reconstruction, the first and third ones individually, and the second one collectively. The group interactions during the reconstruction of the second text were audiotaped. The first stage of the analysis compared the individually reconstructed with the collectively reconstructed ones, and differences in length as well as in complexity between the two categories were demonstrated. In the second stage the audiotaped interactions were analysed with respect to what features were focused on in the identified language-related episodes (LREs), content/ meaning, lexical or grammar. The results show that the majority of the LREs were directed towards grammar, more specifically towards the noun phrase, with case and gender as the most frequently negotiated issues. The last stage of the analysis concerned the outcomes of the LREs, relating them to the participants’ proficiency levels and personality traits, as well as to interpersonal dynamics. Some implications are drawn for further research on the effects of negotiations of meaning and form on written output.
