Keywords
textual mediation
L2 acquisition/learning
paraphrastic strategies
French as L2
language proficiency levels
How to Cite
Abstract
This study examines the role of reformulation in second language acquisition and explores its potential as an activity of textual mediation in the written productions of adult learners of French as a second language (B1–B2 levels). The study focuses on three main reformulatory postures: repetition (REP), change of meaning (CHG), and paraphrastic reformulation (PHR). The corpus consists of written retellings of the narrative text Tom et Julie produced by Polish-speaking learners of French. The results reveal differentiated reformulation patterns according to proficiency level. B1 learners tend to rely more frequently on repetition and analytic paraphrases, reflecting strategies focused on maintaining the explicit content of the source text. B2 learners show greater flexibility in restructuring information and make more frequent use of semantic, interpretative, and transformational paraphrases.
More complex sequences appear to generate different responses depending on learners’ linguistic resources, with higher-level learners demonstrating a greater capacity to select, reorganize, and condense information. These findings suggest that reformulation can be considered not only as an indicator of linguistic development in L2, but also as an activity involving processes closely related to textual mediation. By highlighting the relationship between reformulation strategies, information processing, and learners’ communicative resources, the study contributes to a better understanding of how mediation-related abilities emerge in second language learning and provides implications for the design of pedagogical activities fostering more autonomous and flexible language use.
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