Alignment of morphosyntactic structures during task-based text chat interaction among peers in an EAP classroom

Linguistic alignment, that is, the natural tendency to copy the morphosyntactic and lexical structures of an interlocutor during conversation, has recently received growing attention in second language acquisition research. An important question is whether L2 alignment draws on largely implicit and automatic processes, as is assumed for native speaker alignment (Pickering & Ferreira, 2008; Michel & O’Rourke, 2019). Earlier work exploring L2 alignment in digitally mediated conversation (i.e., text/video chat), suggests that some morphosyntactic structures are more prone to alignment than others (Michel & Cappellini, 2019). Other work on oral L2 interaction indicates that individuals might differ as to whether they align or not to their partner. The current study aims to shed further light on these phenomena as it investigates alignment of a variety of morphosyntactic structures (e.g., complex noun phrases, prepositional phrases) during text-based computer chat among peers using English as a second language. Eight pairs of international students (proficiency B2 to C1), who were enrolled in an MA program at a UK university performed six text chat tasks on a weekly base. Tasks required them to reconstruct an abstract of an academic article. Chat-logs of the conversations were scrutinized for the re-use of morphosyntactic structures that had been introduced by either partner. Data analyses took into account participants’ perceptions of the chat interactions and their proficiency level. Findings reveal large variety in both the structures that were re-used and individual differences in whether participants were aligning specific target-language forms to their partner. The discussion highlights how observed group patterns as well as identified personal preferences increase our understanding of alignment processes in written L2 digitally mediated interactions.