Pragmatic Production of Third Language Learners: A Focus on Request External Modification Items

Studies testing the knowledge of syntactic properties have resulted in two potentially contrasting proposals in relation to third language acquisition (TLA); the Cumulative Enhancement Model (Flynn et al., 2004), which proposes that previously learned languages will positively affect the acquisition of a third language (L3); and the ‘second language (L2) status factor’ hypothesis (Bardel and Falk, 2007), which proposes that the primacy of the L2 can block the potential positive effects that may be transferable from the first language (L1). This article attempts to extend these hypotheses to the domain of morphosyntax, in relation to the TLA of the properties of grammatical number and gender concord marking on German attributive adjectives; these properties not present in the L1 of Japanese, or the L2 of English. Two further factors are of interest in the current study; first, the performance of the learners according to their L3 and their L2 proficiency levels, a variable not discussed in the above-mentioned studies; and, second, the role that the type of task has on the performance of these learners. Three groups of Japanese native speakers (matched for proficiency within each German group), but with differing English proficiencies, completed a carefully balanced gap-filling task, together with two oral elicitation tasks in the form of games; both of these elicited tokens of adjectival inflection. Initial results offer partial support for weaker versions of the two hypotheses mentioned above. However, neither of the L3 models tested can fully account for the results obtained, which are more consistent with a feature-based account of the organization of grammar in the domain of morphosyntax, such as that of Distributed Morphology (DM) (Halle and Marantz, 1993). DM is a model for language acquisition which — coupled with a view that the Subset Principle proposed by this account is not observed by non-primary language learners — has recently been proposed to explain the optionality observed in L2 learners’ production (Hawkins et al., 2006). The data presented here suggest that it could be extended to L3 learners’ production.

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11. L3, L1 or L0? Heritage-Language Students as Third-Language Learners

Teaching and Learning in Multilingual Contexts ◽

10.21832/9781783091263-013 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 215-231

Author(s):

Márta Csire ◽

Johanna Laakso

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

Heritage Language ◽

Third Language ◽

Language Students

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C2+-DaF-Lernende reflektieren über eine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung – ist diese vor dem Hintergrund der postulierten funktionalen Mehrsprachigkeit in Alltag und Beruf künftig noch gefragt?

Language Learning in Higher Education ◽

10.1515/cercles-2015-0015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Monika Schumacher

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Foreign Language Learning ◽

Language Education ◽

Foreign Language Education ◽

Third Language ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

The Individual ◽

Oriented Approach

AbstractBy adopting “functional plurilingualism” – a recurring concept in its new curriculum, “Lehrplan 21” – Switzerland is pursuing new avenues in foreign language education. The term refers to a goal-oriented approach to foreign language learning and teaching in primary and secondary schools, and implies that barriers to communication can be overcome by exploiting the sum of the individual’s linguistic capacities. In future, language learners will be expected to build on the interrelatedness of languages instead of developing abilities in languages that they keep separate from one another. This view of foreign language education coincides with the recommendations of the Council of Europe’sHaving reached the highest level specified by the CEFR, some learners continue their studies, seeking to maintain or reinforce their competences or to address individual weaknesses. In this article, a group of C2+ learners of German as a foreign language reflect on their desire for linguistic perfection and the notion of “functional plurilingualism” against the background of their own biographies. These learners have a high awareness and knowledge of German (often their third language) and of the learning process, which allows them to make informative statements. The data was analysed qualitatively and subjective theories were reconstructed – an approach that took account both of the multiperspectivity of the topic and of the uniqueness of the individual cases.

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Learning a Second Language in a Third Language Environment

Toegepaste Taalwetenschap in Artikelen ◽

10.1075/ttwia.59.04gon ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 59 ◽

pp. 31-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paz González González

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

T Test ◽

Language Learner ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Language Abilities ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Third Language ◽

Significant Difference ◽

L2 Learners ◽

Language Environment

There has been a long tradition of concern with the "good language learner" in L2 research. One approach to this topic is to compare the performance of experienced language learners with people who have had less experience with languages. The present study provides comparable data for second- and third-language learners of English. It is hypothesized that L3 learners of English will learn the language with more facility and perhaps with more proficiency than L2 learners of English. The data was collected in two high schools in Amsterdam, where 30 immigrant (L3 learners) and 30 Dutch (L2 learners) students were tested on their knowledge of English with a C-test. They also gave answers to some questions about their personal status and language abilities. The scores were submitted to statistical analysis to test whether or not there was any significant difference between the groups. The statistical test chosen was the T-test for independent groups. The tests were first scored through exact scoring. Once the T-test was applied to both sets of scores (monolinguals and bilinguals), it turned out that the bilinguals scored significantly better than the monolinguals. The answers to the questionnaire were also investigated to find any correlations with the results in the C-test. In addition, the tests were scored through acceptable scoring, which, although no longer significant, still showed the superiority of the immigrant-bilinguals. The hypothesis was confirmed: the assumed superiority of bilinguals in acquiring languages is also found in the immigrant-bilinguals who took part in this study. Despite the negative effects of some of the socio-economic-educational factors affecting the performance of ethnic minority students in Holland, they still have a better aptitude for learning a third language.

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