Abstract
On July 23 2013, the Netherlands were suffering very hot weather with increasing risks of thunder. This inspired the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant to the headline "Onweersbuien zetten hittegolf op de tocht" ("Thunder storms jeopardize heat wave"). While the Dutch newspaper title is clear to natives, it poses serious difficulties to L2 learners of Dutch who are not familiar with the expression "op de tocht zetten" ("to put in a draught" = to jeopardize), because its meaning cannot be inferred from the composing words (although context may help). L2 learners have even more difficulties in actively using such expressions in language production, together with others like "Daar ben ik het niet helemaal mee eens" ("I do not completely agree") or "Daar zal ik niet op ingaan" ("I will not discuss this"). These are all examples of formulaic expressions (FEs), which may vary from "frozen" idiomatic polywords to variable phrasal constructions. Because of their opacity and multifaceted complexity, FEs are much harder to acquire and master for L2 learners than individual words. In this programme, we investigate how L2 learners acquire and use such formulaic expressions. Subjects receive focused teaching to learn FEs and are tested experimentally to measure FE acquisition, comprehension, and production. Questions addressed are: How does specific training contribute to FE acquisition in L2? How do L2 learners comprehend and produce FEs? How can we model FE processing by L2 learners? Can we exploit the theoretical insights based on novel findings to improve L2 teaching methods?