抄録 | Language production, namely output, has been identified to be a contributor to language learning as the output hypothesis claims. Moreover, not only learners’ output from a task (i.e., primary output) but also language produced to complete the task (i.e., metalinguistic output) has been identified to facilitate language learning. This study focused on the latter type of language use (languaging). Despite its positive role as a facilitator of language learning, encouraging learners to engage in languaging is also believed to have negative effects, taxing learners’ attentional resources. Therefore, learners’ perception toward languaging was investigated. Compared to well-researched oral languaging, little seems to be known about written languaging. In this context, the current study employed such languaging in the form of “metanotes,” that is, metatalk in a written modality, in a decontexualized setting. The questionnaire result was examined to identify how the participants perceived the taking of metanotes. In addition, differences related to learners’ proficiency were investigated. Two groups of 24 Japanese EFL learners with two different levels were instructed to engage in languaging by taking metanotes while they were doing a translation task and checking a native-speaker’s model afterward. The questionnaire results revealed the participants’generally positive perception of languaging. Moreover, it was found that the higher-level participants perceived metanote-taking more positively compared to their lower-level counterparts. This paper examined these results, by reviewing the findings from studies that investigated language use in second language education, in order to explore the potential function of written languaging. |