| Description |
Since they provide empirical data for linguistic analysis (Brezina et al., 2022; Paquot et al., 2024), spoken learner corpora (SLC) are fundamental – yet still rare – to second language acquisition (SLA) (Gablasova et al., 2019). They also support the investigation, crucial in corpus-based approaches, of how contextual factors influence linguistic output (Brezina et al., 2022): sampling decisions are critical, as they determine the range of linguistic features captured (Paquot et al., 2024). This study examines the role of Italian native speakers (NSs) in longitudinal data collection on Slavic learners of L2 Italian. The longitudinal learner corpus presented here includes L2 Italian interactions collected from university students in the Czech Republic, who have a Slavic language (Czech and Slovak and, to a lesser extent, Russian and Ukranian) as their mother tongue. These interactions include various tasks (Pallotti et al., 2010), such as semi-structured conversations, role-plays, linguistic autobiographies, personal narrations, and focus groups (FGs), that is, discussions in group (learners) led by a moderator (NS) about a topic (inter alia, Migliorini & Raina, 2001; Krueger & Casey, 2015; Hornsby, 2022). Although the recent tendencies to implement its use into SLA classrooms (Ho, 2006), this method has not yet been used in constructing a SLC. For our study, FGs are mainly conducted by NSs Erasmus students who are arriving from different parts of Italy. The label ‘native speaker’ is used here in a broader sense, so as a set of speakers who use different varieties of Italian and, therefore, to be understood in a prototypical sense (cf. Berruto, 2003). By rotating native speakers annually, students are exposed to an authentic linguistic input and a broader range of diatopic variation, which constitutes a significant advantage from both a pedagogical and linguistic point of view (Halliday et al., 1964; Weinreich at al., 1968). In fact, the findings suggest that students feel at ease conversing with NSs (close to their age), then with a non-native professor, which facilitates the collection of spoken data from learners. While NSs provide authentic and diverse linguistic examples, their temporary involvement and natural variability stand in contrast to the uniform, monolingual methods usually found in practical language classes overseas. Although this difference can occasionally confuse students when they encounter various usage models, it ultimately encourages more spontaneous, less rule-bound communication. We will critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages demonstrating the rationale for including NSs despite the challenges that may arise.
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