Abstract
Little is known about the link between Second Language Acquisition (SLA) developmental stages (Pienemann 1998) and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) proficiency levels.
Therefore, this study examines the inversion (INV) and verb-end (VEND) stages in L2 German MERLIN texts rated B1
(N = 104) or A2 (N = 32). Two acquisition criteria are applied to individual texts
(emergence, Pienemann 1998; 75%-correct, Ellis
1989) and combined with analyses of texts grouped at CEFR levels. Results suggest links between developmental stages
and CEFR levels: VEND was emerged in 44% of B1 texts, while most A2 texts did not contain VEND. Many B1 texts (61.5%), but only
37.5% of A2 texts showed emergence of INV. However, analyses also revealed persisting problems with INV accuracy at B1. More
generally, the study points out shared challenges for Learner Corpus Research, SLA, and proficiency/assessment research related to
the availability of linguistic evidence in learner texts.
Comparison Among Some View Points Upon Second Language Acquisition Theory