Teaching Language-Specific Preferences in the Native Language: An Interactive Web App for Prospective Teachers

Abstract

Natural languages offer diverse means for conveying the same idea, with each language typically exhibiting a predominant way of selecting and packaging information, referred to as a language-specific preference. Cross-linguistic research on motion events has shown that native speakers tend to favor such patterns and intuitively recognize non-preferred lexicalizations, particularly in the domain of motion event description. Due to subtle differences in grammar and vocabulary, these preferences are language-specific. Acquiring the language-specific preferences of a second or foreign language poses a challenge even for advanced learners, especially when these preferences diverge from those internalized in the native language. Language teachers, however, are often unaware of both the existence of such preferences and the difficulties they pose for learners. This study therefore aims (1) to enable prospective teachers to discover language-specific preferences through a bottom-up, data-driven approach, and (2) to raise awareness of the challenges involved in acquiring them. Accordingly, the online application LexiGraph was developed to enable prospective German teachers to identify patterns in linguistic data. Using an interactive dataset, students explored the expression of motion events across languages and speaker groups. The app supports visual exploration and provides a threshold learning experience that fosters an engaging and intellectually challenging learning environment by encoding complex semantic and syntactic information. Student feedback highlights the novelty of the technological approach, although some participants perceived the material as cognitively demanding. Developing an understanding of language-specific lexicalization patterns can support prospective teachers in working with language learners and contribute to more inclusive multilingual education.