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L2 learner's use of communication strategies (CSs) has received an attention since 1970s (Faech & Kasper, 1983; Tarone et al., 1983). Previous studies have focused on identification and classification of CSs, the effectiveness and teachability of CS, the uses of CSs by different proficiency levels in different tasks, and individual differences in CS use. In spite of the varieties in focus of the previous researches, no research has address whether the use of CSs affects L2 acquisition over and beyond the level of sustainment of communication.
Recent studies in classroom acquisition have shown beneficial effects of negotiation during peer conversation on L2 grammar acquisition. However, previous studies in peer interaction focus primarily on how a listener's negotiation move or corrective feedback helps a speaker to repair his/her erroneous utterances. One the other hand, CS research concerns with a speaker's voluntary action to make him/her understood at the time of communication difficulty. In other words, both negotiation strategies and CSs occur in the same conversational context. Even so, no research has ever investigated the relationship between them.
Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the use of CSs and negotiation strategies on L2 acquisition. Twenty four students enrolled in the intermediate and advance Japanese language courses are asked to engage in two types of communicative tasks, and their development of vocabulary and grammar knowledge are examined through pre- and posttests of the target linguistic items. Also, conversations during the tasks are transcribed and qualitatively analyzed to examine the pattern of CS use and the rate of successful repair moves. The results indicate that some CSs such as appeals and code switching are beneficial, with or without a negotiation move from the interlocutor, but others may be detrimental to L2 development.