This research project examines the English loanword adaptation process in Korean as the initiator of variation in the lexical level. By focusing mainly on four loanword variants originated from the English expression application, the current study proposes several linguistic models of initiating lexical variation triggered by loanword adaptation processes. The linguistic examination on the adaptation of application to ayphullikheyisyen and ephullikheyisyen revealed that the generation of both loanword variants were systematically done. Regarding the other two forms, it is strongly suggested that ephul was derived from ephullikheyisyen through clipping, while ayp was a direct adaptation of the clipped English word app. These findings were supported through examining the appearance frequencies of those four variants in written media records. By demonstrating how the loanword adaptation processes can initiate variations in the lexical level, this study provides an additional insight in understanding the basic mechanism of linguistic variation in general, especially in investigating the cause of the initial stage of variation phenomena.

Developing small learner and native corpora, this case study examines how Korean L2 learners used six types of lexical collocations in L2 writing to address (a) the frequency and acceptability of learner collocations, (b) problematic constituents of deviant collocations, and (c) possible sources of the learner difficulties. The overall frequency (about 8% of each corpus) and relative frequencies of each collocation type were similar between the learner and native corpora in descending order of adjective-noun, verb-noun, noun-noun, adverb-verb, adverb-adjective, and noun-verb combinations. The average and individual acceptability rates of each collocation type were around 70% and the problematic constituents were found both in nodes and collocates. L2 influence on learner difficulties mostly lied in confusions about synonyms, overuse of delexical verbs, and use of correct collocations in wrong contexts. Relying on L1 semantic representations, the learners produced non-habitual combinations, misrepresented the intended meaning, and paraphrased L2 collocations. Pedagogical implications arose for teaching L2 collocations about the importance of considering the immediate context of L2 writing and taking different approaches to different types of collocations.