This volume originates from a workshop entitled 'Revisiting advanced varieties in L2 learning' organized by the editors at Aston University (Birmingham, UK) in June 2006. It consists of a peer-reviewed selection of the best contributions.

Many different approaches have been used in the study of advanced learners and their characteristics. Specific areas of language have repeatedly been found to remain problematic even at advanced levels, and much empirical research has been carried out. In particular, areas of grammar such as the tense or agreement systems often pose difficulties, as well as lexical idiosyncrasies such as formulaic sequences, and the discourse/pragmatic constraints operating in French. This volume brings together recent research exploring the advanced learner capabilities in each of those domains, as well as possible explanations for the difficulties they raise for the L2 learner of French. Additionally, one of the areas which has received considerable attention in the French L2 literature on advanced learners, tense and aspect, is also explored from the point of view of French learners of English, to explore any parallels. In presenting this research, the book clarifies the concept of the advanced learner: how does s/he differ from native speakers and why? Contents:

Emmanuelle Labeau/Florence Myles: Introduction - Inge Bartning: The Advanced Learner Variety: 10 years later - Alex Housen/Nancy Kemps/Michel Pierrard: The Use of Verb Morphology of Advanced L2 Learners and Native Speakers of French - Emmanuelle Labeau: An Imperfect Mastery: The Acquisition of the Functions of Imparfait by Anglophone Learners - Martin Howard: Short- versus Long-term Effects of Naturalistic Exposure on the Advanced Instructed Learner's L2 Development: A Case-study - Monique Monville-Burston/Fryni Kakoyianni-Doa: Aspects of the Interlanguage of Advanced Greek-Speaking Cypriot Learners of French: Relative Clauses - Malin Ågren: The Advanced L2 Writer of French: A Study of Number Agreement in Swedish Learners - Fanny Forsberg: Formulaic Sequences: A Distinctive Feature at the Advanced/Very Advanced Levels of Second Language Acquisition - Catherine Bolly: The Acquisition of Phraseological Units by Advanced Learners of French as an L2: High Frequency Verbs and Learner Corpora - Dominique Klingler: Syntactic Complexity and Discourse Complexity in Japanese L1 and French L2: Three Case Studies - Henry Tyne: Style in L2: The Icing on the Cake? - Pascale Leclercq: The Influence of L1 French on Near-Native French Learners of English: The Case of Simultaneity - Emmanuelle Labeau/Florence Myles: Conclusion.