The sociocognitive functions of English use during L2 French collaborative writing tasks

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Reflecting the important role of collaborative dialogue in second language (L2) learning, collaborative writing tasks have been widely used in L2 classrooms to help students gain new knowledge and consolidate their existing knowledge about how the target language works. Although use of the first language (L1) during peer interaction has been criticized (Levine, 2003; Unamuno, 2008), collaborative dialogue research has identified how L1 English use serves several important sociocognitive functions and supports knowledge mediation in foreign language classrooms (Swain & Lapkin, 2013). This study also examines the sociocognitive functions served by English in an L2 French classroom but compares the functions used by L1 English (n = 13) and L2 English (n = 7) speakers during collaborative writing tasks. Their discussions during two collaborative writing tasks were transcribed, and their English use was analysed in terms of its sociocognitive function. Results showed that L1 and L2 English speakers used English for similar sociocognitive functions, mainly for generating ideas, managing the task, and discussing vocabulary. However, there were some different patterns in terms of how extensively English was used within a turn across the functions. Implications are discussed in terms of the potential benefits of using linguistic resources other than the target language in multilingual L2 classrooms.