The complementary contributions of oral and written modalities to the development of verbal morphology

Abstract In this study, we longitudinally investigate the use of verbal and morphological means to narrate past and present events. We compare oral and written personal narratives from two Syrian learners of L2 French (one beginner and one intermediate) across three data collection points over seven months. By analysing all verbal constructions in relation to the context of occurrence (past or non-past), we examine their constituents and the evolution of form-function mappings over time. Our results show that the written production, particularly in the beginner learner, reveals the production of a wider range of morphological choices and tense distinctions compared to oral production. By highlighting the use of verbal strategies in both the oral and written modalities, this study underscores the complementary contributions of each mode to the gradual mastery of French verbal morphology.