Identifying two interactional functions of <i>en fait</i> (‘in fact, actually’) in L2 French: a mixed-methods approach

Abstract Recent conversation-analytic research on second language acquisition has begun to explore the ways in which L2 speakers develop specific linguistic resources for discourse-organizational purposes. A key challenge in this area is to account for both the developmental trajectory of such resources through quantitative frequency analyses and their interactional complexity when mobilized in context. Addressing these two facets of acquisition requires an integrated methodological approach that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses. This paper examines the developmental trajectory of en fait (‘in fact, actually’) in L2 French, based on longitudinal data from adult speakers interacting in a conversation circle. The study employs quantitative corpus analysis to track the emergence and increasing use of en fait over time, identifying patterns of frequency change and recurrent lexical environments. This is complemented by conversation analysis, which provides a fine-grained, sequential and multimodal investigation of how en fait is deployed in interaction. The findings show that learners not only increase their use of en fait over time, but also diversify its interactional functions, progressively integrating it into their repertoire of resources for managing the interaction. The findings underscore the importance of integrating sequential and multimodal analysis to fully understand how learners appropriate discourse markers in interaction.