scholarly journals PROCESSABILITY IN SCANDINAVIAN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Glahn ◽  
Gisela Håkansson ◽  
Björn Hammarberg ◽  
Anne Holmen ◽  
Anne Hvenekilde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Subordinate Clause ◽  
Fixed Sequence ◽  
The Third ◽  
Attributive Adjective ◽  
Predicative Adjective

This paper reports on a test of the validity of Pienemann's (1998) Processability Theory (PT). This theory predicts that certain morphological and syntactic phenomena are acquired in a fixed sequence. Three phenomena were chosen for this study: attributive adjective morphology, predicative adjective morphology, and subordinate clause syntax (placement of negation). These phenomena are located at successive developmental stages in the hierarchy predicted by PT. We test whether they actually do appear in this predicted hierarchical order in the L2 of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish learners. The three languages mentioned are very closely related and have the same adjective morphology and subordinate clause syntax. We can, therefore, treat them as one language for the purposes of this study. Three analyses have been carried out: The first follows Pienemann's theory and is concerned only with syntactic levels; the second is a semantic analysis of the acquisition of number versus that of gender; the third analysis studies the various kinds of mismatches between the inflection of the noun, the controller, and the adjective. The results are the following: The first test supports PT as it has been described by Pienemann. The second analysis shows that there is an acquisitional hierarchy such that number is acquired before gender (in adjectives), and the mismatch analysis raises questions about the fundamental assumptions of the theory.

THE ASPECT HYPOTHESIS AND THE ACQUISITION OF L2 PAST MORPHOLOGY IN THE LAST 20 YEARS

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1137-1167
Author(s):  
Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig ◽  
Llorenç Comajoan-Colomé
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Aspect Hypothesis ◽  
Tense And Aspect ◽  
The Third

AbstractTwenty years ago, a state-of-the-art review in SSLA marked the coming of age of the study of temporality in second language acquisition. This was followed by three monographs on tense and aspect the next year. This article presents a state-of-the-scholarship review of the last 20 years of research addressing the aspect hypothesis (AH) (Andersen, 1991, 2002; Andersen & Shirai, 1994, 1996), the most tested hypothesis in L2 temporality research. The first section of the article gives an overview of the AH and examines its central tenets, and then explores the results of empirical studies that test the hypothesis. The second section considers studies that have investigated four crucial variables in the acquisition of temporality and the testing of the AH. The third section discusses theoretically motivated areas of future research within the framework of the hypothesis.

Impact of an interaction-oriented Japanese course on learners

1998 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 123-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoko Ogawa
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Japanese People ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Active Interaction

Abstract Neustupny (1988, 1991) recommended an interactive competence approach for second language acquisition that places a greater emphasis on learners’ active interaction with native speakers in real communicative situations. In order to have the opportunity to interact with native speakers in the target language, a conscious effort by the learners as well as support from the teachers and the community is essential. The third-year Japanese course at Monash University was designed to encourage and support learners to establish and maintain relationships with Japanese people as well as to utilise various other resources of the target language and culture. This paper examines the impact of this interaction-oriented course on learners in their establishment and maintenance of relationships with Japanese people, and cultural and social understanding. It is based on data collected during 1996 and 1997.

SLA developmental stages in the CEFR-related learner corpus MERLIN

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
Katrin Wisniewski
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Linguistic Evidence ◽  
Proficiency Assessment ◽  
The Common ◽  
Assessment Research

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.

Learnability and the Acquistion of Extraction in Relative Clauses andWh-Questions

1992 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Wolfe Quintero
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Relative Clauses ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Gradual Development ◽  
Learnability Theory ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Learning Principles

Learnability theory is an investigation of the cognitive principles that determine developmental stages and eventual success in language acquistion. The focus of this study is on the learning principles within learnability theory that account for developmental stages in adult second language acquisition. Three learning principles, cumulative development, continuity, and conservatism, predict a complex sequence of development in the acquisition of relative clauses andwh-questions in English. They predict an early no-prep stage, gradual development through two additional stages of greater embeddedness of the extracted noun, stranded before nonstranded prepositional structures, and the likelihood of resumption at early stages. These predictions are confirmed by data from previous studies and are further investigated in this study by means of elicited production data collected from 35 Japanese learners of English and 17 native speakers of English. The data show the expected stages of development and confirm the relevance of learning principles to a comprehensive theory of learnability in second language acquisition (SLA).

Input filters in second language acquisition

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 79-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy M. Lightbown
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Target Language ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Difference

This paper reviews a variety of restrictions (input filters) on the conversion of input to intake and thence to acquisition. These filters are internal characteristics of the learner which seem to interfere with the ability to make use of L2 input for acquisition, even when that input seems, on the surface, to be appropriate and plentiful. Three sorts of filters are examined: affective filters, auditory/phonological filters, and cognitive filters. In the third category, three kinds of cognitive filters are discussed: (a) overload or conflict in the processing systems, (b) developmental filters, and (c) effects of previously learned languages. The discussion focuses on the role of instruction and feedback in making input more accessible to classroom learners and guiding them to perceive the difference between interlanguage patterns and those of the target language.

scholarly journals Role of Feedback and Negotiation in Interlanguage Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 07-13
Author(s):  
Shama-E Shahid
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Interlanguage Development ◽  
Negotiation For Meaning

A central theme in second language acquisition is Interlanguage, an idea grounded on the concept that the human brain activates an innate psychological structure in a second language learning process. It is a system that is constructed by second language learners. There is a distinct language system in second language learners’ utterances which is quite different from the native speakers (Selinker 1972, p. 209-241). Interlanguage varies under diverse contexts, e.g., one domain of IL can be different from another one in terms of fluency, accuracy, and complexity. However, interlanguage can cease developing or fossilize, in any of its developmental stages due to the complexities a learner faces in acquiring a second language.  According to Mitchell et al. (2013, p.60), under the platform of interaction, feedback, modified input, negotiation for meaning, and modified input come together to facilitate second language acquisition. It is evident from this point that Feedback and Negotiation are interrelated. This paper proposes to discuss these two subjects under the umbrella term interaction and argues the role of both of them on interlanguage development, concluding with an analysis of these techniques and the pedagogical implications.

CALL in Service-Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 203-228
Author(s):  
Seth E. Cervantes ◽  
Kerry Chow ◽  
Sumino Otsuji
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
The Third ◽  
L2 Instruction

Results from second language acquisition (SLA) research have shown that an L2 is best acquired when learners have opportunities to use L2 grammar and vocabulary in a manner that is meaningful and relevant to their lived lives. One promising approach to L2 instruction that appears to achieve this end is service-learning. As service-learning is an emerging field of study, there is a need for descriptions on how CALL-based technology can be implemented and evaluated in a service-learning classroom. The first part of this chapter describes service-learning and how CALL-based technology is used to achieve service and learning objectives and TESOL CALL standards. The second part of this chapter describes five CALL-based activities used by service-learning instructors to help their students meaningfully engage with each other and the content. The third part concludes the chapter by offering advice on how teachers could effectively implement CALL-based technology in service-learning classes.

THE UNACCUSATIVE TRAP IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Oshita
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Natural Languages ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

The distinction of two types of intransitive verbs—unergatives (with underlying subjects) and unaccusatives (with underlying objects)—may not exist at early stages of L2 acquisition, both being syntactically represented as unergatives. This idea, referred to here as the Unaccusative Trap Hypothesis, provides an elegant developmental account for a variety of seemingly unrelated syntactic phenomena in L2 English, Japanese, and Chinese. Target language input, structural constraints on natural language linking rules, and linguistic properties of a learner's L1s shape stages in the reorganization of the lexical and syntactic components of interlanguage grammars. Although nonnative grammars may initially override the structural constraints postulated as the Unaccusative Hypothesis (Burzio, 1986; Perlmutter, 1978) and the Uniformity of Theta Assignment Hypothesis (Baker, 1988), at later developmental stages some may still achieve conformity with the norms of natural languages.

The Role of Variation in L2 Syntactic Complexity: A Case Study on Subordinate Clauses in Swedish as a Foreign Language

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-116
Author(s):  
Martje Wijers
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Subordinate Clause ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Subordinate Clauses ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
L2 Development

This paper critically examines the exclusive use of the relative frequency of subordinate clauses as a measure of syntactic complexity in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) L2 acquisition and as an indicator of Second Language (L2) development. Following Lambert & Kormos (2014), it is argued that it is important to also take into account: (i) different subordinate clause types, (ii) item-based frequencies, and (iii) text genre. Longitudinal written data was collected among 21 Dutch-speaking foreign language learners of Swedish. Based on these data, the study shows that the subordination ratio (a common measure for syntactic complexity) alone was found to be insufficient as an indicator of syntactic complexity and L2 development, as hardly any significant differences were observed in the subordination ratios of the learners and native speakers. The study shows that other aspects are also relevant in determining the learners’ level of syntactic complexity as well as their L2 development, such as the internal structure and context of subordinate clauses, subordinate clause types, and especially the type-token ratio of subordinators used. The results showed a significant negative correlation between the subordination ratio of texts and the type-token ratio of subordinators. The aim of the study is to acknowledge the variation in the learners’ use of subordinate clause, in addition to the general subordination ratio, in order to arrive at a more nuanced view of syntactic complexity in second language acquisition.

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