Analysis of the Evolution of the Lexical Availability of a Sample of Students Learning French as a Foreign Language Throughout the Stage of Secondary School in Spain

Abstract

Even if advances regarding lexical availability are only very recent, during the last few years, research in this area has progressed considerably. Although such studies abound in the Hispanic world, this research intents to modestly support these lines of investigation, returning to their origins. Indeed, the concept of research as lexical availability was born in France. In addition, this experimental project proposes to establish an inventory of the evolution of the available vocabulary in a foreign language thanks to the analysis of a corpus produced with students of Spanish mother tongue learning French as a second foreign language. Our experience with a sample made up of 294 students highlights the possibilities that this type of study can offer with regard to the teaching of vocabulary for the development of resources responding to specific learning needs focusing on the quality of the language learning over time. Indeed, the curve which reflects the evolution of lexical knowledge is not always increasing but rather irregular. This would perhaps confirm other studies stating the fact that learning is not linear but spiral, made of comings and goings.