Uncorrected proofs -  John Benjamins Publishing Company Chapter 14 Interaction in conversation groups The development of L2 conversational styles Nicole Ziegler, Corinne Seals, Ste Ammons, Julie Lake, Phillip Hamrick, and Patrick Rebuschat Georgetown University and Bangor University This exploratory study examines the potential learning opportunities of interactions in the naturalistic setting of a German conversation group. Eleven intermediate L2 German learners participated in weekly conversation groups, which were recorded and then transcribed. In addi- tion, information regarding learners’ perceptions, condence, and willingness to communicate was obtained by means of self-report surveys and interviews. A discourse analytic approach indicated that learners’ styles were more passive or active depending on their ability to identify and use, consciously or unconsciously, German conversational style in the group interactions. These ndings suggest that interaction in L2 conversation groups can play an important role in providing learners with opportunities to acquire native-like conversational styles and structures in an environment representative of authentic, real world conversational contexts. Introduction During the last few decades, numerous empirical studies and meta-analyses have dem- onstrated clear benets of interaction on second language (L2) development (e.g. Keck, Iberri-Shea, Tracy-Ventura, & Wa-Mbaleka 2006; Mackey & Goo 2007; Mackey & Oliver 2002; Mackey, Oliver, & Leeman 2003). Much of the focus of these studies has been the development of lexis and grammar; however, interaction has also been shown to benet learners by providing opportunities to produce modied output (Swain & Lapkin 2001) and receive comprehensible input (Gass & Varonis 1985), as well as negotiate for mean- ing and receive feedback (Pica, Lincoln-Porter, Paninos, & Linnell 1996), all of which may provide opportunities for development above the lexical and grammatical levels. Consequently, interaction may be integral to the development of discourse structures, conversational styles, and interactional features, which are all important aspects of suc- cessful L2 development.