A multimodal perspective on adult learners’ vocabulary explanations in the beginner-level L2 classroom

Following the current research in conversation analysis field of second language (L2) learning, present study demonstrates that beginner-level adult learners actively contribute to vocabulary explanation sequences by mobilising multimodal resources including depictive gestures, gaze, and short verbal turns. The data consist video-recordings whole-class interactions a L2 French classroom for adults with migrant backgrounds. shows how gestures deployed serve either represent concrete words, directly depicting target item, or, combined explanation, make more abstract concepts visible contextualising word associating it larger context use. findings deeper understanding functioning explanations and, particular, specific participatory dynamics classes learners.