Production of Third-Person Singular -s And be Copula in Communication Tasks by Vietnamese EFL Learners - Acquisition Order and Learner Orientation to Form

Oct 15, 2026

Research examines the acquisition order of English inflectional morphemes by Vietnamese EFL learners in oral communication tasks carried out in intact university classrooms. Third-person singular –s (3SG–s) is treated as challenging and later than the verb be copula, aligning with prior L1/L2 findings. Nine pairs of learners completed five communicative tasks over three weeks, after which they were interviewed. Results show frequent omission of 3SG–s across contexts and tasks, while be copula was produced more accurately, with variation among learners. Findings are discussed through theoretical models and offer pedagogical guidance for managing focus on inflectional forms during oral task performance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Context and research focus

Method

Participants and tasks

Data collection and analysis

Results

Production and omission patterns

Accuracy and learner decisions

Discussion

Theoretical interpretation and pedagogical implications

Production of Third-Person Singular –s And be Copula in Communication Tasks by Vietnamese EFL Learners: Acquisition Order and Learner Orientation to Form Bao Trang Thi Nguyen University of Foreign Languages, Hue University Jonathan Newton Victoria University of Wellington Abstract Research on the acquisition order of inflectional morphemes in English has shown that thirdperson singular –s (3SG–s) is challenging to acquire and acquired later than be copula by both L1 and L2 learners of English. In a departure from the usual practice of controlled elicitation, the current study investigated the production of these two forms by Vietnamese EFL learners in oral communication tasks performed in intact classrooms. Vietnamese L1 does not inflectionally mark 3SG–s although the construction of be copula in Vietnamese and English shares some features. These differences motivated the selection of the two target forms. Nine pairs of Vietnamese EFL university students were recorded performing five communicative tasks generated contexts for use of 3SG–s. over three weeks in their normal classes. Performance data were transcribed and analyzed for frequencies of production andomission of the two target forms in obligatory contexts. After completing the tasks, the students were interviewed about what they attended to when performing the tasks. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically. Results show that the learners omitted 3SG–s in most obligatory contexts and across all tasks. They were better at accurately producing be copula than 3SG–s but accuracy rates varied between learners. Interview data revealed the conscious decisions learners made concerning the accuracy of their language production. The findings are discussed with reference to different theoretical models. The study advances understanding of acquisition of 3SG–s and be copula by EFL learners and offers pedagogical implications for how a focus on inflectional forms can be managed in oral communicative task performance. Résumé Des recherches sur l’ordre d’acquisition des morphèmes flexionnels en Anglais ont montré que, pour les apprenants L1 et L2, l’acquisition de la marque de la troisième personne dusingulier –s (3SG–s) est difficile et plus tardive que celle de la copule be. Différemment dela pratique commune des élicitations contrôlées, la présente étude a investigué la production de ces deux formes par des apprenants d’EFL Vietnamiens dans des activités de communication orale dans des salles de classe intactes. Dans le L1 Vietnamien on ne marque pas la flexion 3SG–s, tandis que la construction de la copule be en Vietnamien eten Anglais comportent quelques similarités. Ces différences ont motivé la sélection de ces deux formes. Neufpaires d’apprenants universitaires Vietnamiens d’EFL ont été enregistrées, au long de trois semaines de leurs cours réguliers, lors de leur participation à Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics: 25, 1 (2022): 19-46 CJAL * RCLA Nguyen & Newton 20 cinq tâches communicatives engendrant des contextes pour l’usage de 3SG–s. Les données de performance ont été transcrites et analysées en fonction des fréquences de la production et omission des deux formes cibles dans des contextes obligatoires. Les étudiants ont aussi été interviewés afin d’examiner à quoi ils faisaient attention lors de l’exécution del’activité . Les transcriptions des entretiens ont été analysées par thème. Les résultats ont montré que les apprenants ont omis le 3SG–s dans la majorité des contextes obligatoires. Les apprenants ont été plus précis dans l’utilisation de la copule be, mais le degré de précision a varié selon l’apprenant. Les données de l’entretien ont révélé les décisions conscientes des étudiants concernant l’exactitude de leur production langagière. Cette étude fait avancer les connaissances sur l’acquisition du 3SG–s et de la copule be par les apprenants d’EFL et fournit des consignes pédagogiques sur comment l’attention sur les formes flex

FAQs

Why are third-person singular –s and be copula compared in this study?

Prior research indicates that 3SG–s is difficult and typically acquired later than be copula. Vietnamese differs from English in how (or whether) inflection marks third-person singular, motivating comparison in the same learning context.

How were Vietnamese EFL learners evaluated during the study?

Nine pairs of Vietnamese EFL university students performed five communicative oral tasks in their normal classes over three weeks. Performance was transcribed and analyzed for production and omission of the two target forms in obligatory contexts.

What did the interviews reveal about learners’ language production?

Interview data showed that learners made conscious decisions related to the accuracy of their language output, explaining variation in how reliably they produced be copula and how often they omitted 3SG–s.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Guten tag