A Corpus-Based Analysis of English Verb-VAC Associations in Japanese EFL Learners: Input, Transfer, and Instructional Effects

Verb-argument constructions (VACs), such as “V + to-infinitive” (e.g., “hope to”) and “V about n” (e.g., “care about”), represent fundamental building blocks in language development. Mastery of these constructions requires knowledge of verb-VAC associations—understanding which verbs appropriately combine with specific VACs. While recent usage-based SLA research has examined how input statistical distributions, particularly frequency and contingency measures, influence the development of learners’ verb-VAC knowledge, there remains a gap in our understanding of how these processes manifest specifically in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, where additional factors like first language (L1) transfer and formal instruction may play significant roles. This study investigates verb-VAC associations in Japanese learners of English through a corpus-based analysis that identifies distinctive patterns in their production (overuse and underuse). The research examines three key factors that may influence acquisition: input statistical distributions, L1 transfer effects, and instructional practices in the Japanese educational context. Methodologically, I extract VAC instances from Japanese subcorpora of two major learner corpora (ICNALE, ICLE) and compare these with comparable native English speaker data and data from Chinese learners. Using the Multiple Distinctive Collexeme Analysis (MDCA) technique, I identify verb-VAC associations that are particularly characteristic of Japanese English learners. Unlike previous studies that relied on large native speaker corpora (BNC, COCA) as proxy input data, this study enhances representativeness of reference data by utilizing textbooks used in Japanese public education as a more representative source of learner input. The study contributes to our theoretical understanding of Construction Grammar in second language acquisition while offering practical implications for EFL pedagogy in Japanese and similar instructional contexts. By elucidating how input distributions, L1 transfer, and instruction collectively shape EFL learners’ acquisition of English verb-VAC associations, this research provides a foundation for more targeted and effective language teaching approaches.