Lexical frequency and target language input in the primary languages classroom

This paper presents an exploratory study of L2 input in the primary languages classroom. Teacher talk in 33 videorecorded lessons taught to Year 3 French beginners by a specialist teacher of French was analysed, in order to document the extent and nature of L2 vocabulary input. Further analyses compared the lexis of teacher talk in this primary setting with high-frequency wordlists derived from two reference corpora designed to support the teaching of L2 French. Results showed that children were exposed to c 45,000 words (tokens) of French, reflecting a teacher vocabulary of c 650 lemmas. Intentionally taught lexis such as foods or animal names typically received massed practice, not always supplemented by distributed practice. The teachers' partial but consistent use of French for classroom management contributed to a well-balanced distribution of word classes. There was considerable overlap with both reference wordlists, and divergence could largely be explained by the teacher's choice of topics, and incidental use of French to personalise and engage childrens' individual interests, as well as for classroom management purposes. In discussion, the need for careful planning and management of vocabulary instruction is highlighted, as well as the significant potential of L2 classroom management to enrich lexical input.