Linguistic alignment in second language acquisition: A methodological review

Linguistic alignment is defined as the development of aligned representations drawing on an automatic psycholinguistic priming mechanism that acts on every level of linguistic representa-tion (e.g., auditory, semantic, syntactic) (Branigan et al., 2014). Building on first language (L1) alignment research, research on the occurrence of alignment and alignment-driven language learning in second language (L2) contexts has been on the rise (Kim et al., 2019; McDonough et al., 2015; McDonough & Kim, 2009). In this article, we reviewed 54 L2 linguistic alignment studies published between 2001 and 2021. The methodological aspects of these studies are reviewed in terms of the alignment types (auditory, semantic, syntactic), target linguistic features, medium of alignment, modality of primes, time on alignment treatment, task types, and oper-ationalization of learning measures in L2 alignment research. The findings show that syntactic alignment in L2 English is the most widely researched. Additionally, both computer-human interaction in a controlled experimental context and face-to-face oral interactions are the most frequent types of alignment settings. We discuss methodological implications and highlight future directions in light of expanding alignment foci and communication modalities.

Automated summary

Linguistic alignment refers to the development of aligned linguistic representations through automatic priming mechanisms that apply to different levels of representation (e.g., auditory, semantic, syntactic) (Branigan et al., 2014). This article reviews 54 studies on second language (L2) linguistic alignment published between 2001 and 2021, focusing on methodological aspects such as alignment types, target linguistic features, alignment settings, primes modality, treatment duration, task types, and learning measures. The findings suggest that syntactic alignment in L2 English is the most extensively studied, with computer-human interaction and face-to-face oral interactions being the most frequent alignment settings. The article discusses the methodological implications and identifies future research directions in terms of expanding alignment foci and communication modalities.