L3 acquisition of English attributive adjectives

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader Fallah ◽  
Ali Akbar Jabbari
Keyword(s):  
Judgment Task ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence ◽  
Attributive Adjectives

Abstract This study examines three L3 transfer proposals, namely the L1 Factor (Hermas, 2010, 2014a, 2014b), the CEM (Flynn et al., 2004) and the TPM (Rothman, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015) as well as investigates the role of the language of dominance in L3 acquisition of English attributive adjectives. Three groups of bilinguals took part in this study: L1 Mazandarani/L2 Persian, with Mazandarani as the dominant language of communication, L1 Mazandarani/L2 Persian, with Persian as the dominant language of communication and L1 Persian/L2 Mazandarani, with Persian as the dominant language of communication. The results of a grammaticality judgment task and an element rearrangement task show that the predictions of the above-mentioned L3 transfer proposals were not realized. Instead, the dominant language of communication turns out to be the main source of syntactic crosslinguistic influence at the initial stages of L3 acquisition, irrespective of its status as an L1 or L2.

Source(s) of syntactic cross-linguistic influence (CLI): The case of L3 acquisition of English possessives by Mazandarani–Persian bilinguals

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader Fallah ◽  
Ali Akbar Jabbari ◽  
Ali Mohammad Fazilatfar
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Third Language ◽  
The Third ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
L3 Acquisition

This study investigates the role of previously acquired linguistic systems, Mazandarani and Persian, in the acquisition of third language (L3) English at the initial stages. The data have been obtained from 31 students (age 13–14 years), testing the placement of attributive possessives in a grammaticality judgment task, an element rearrangement task and an elicited oral imitation task. The participants consist of three groups: The first two groups have Mazandarani as the first language (L1) and Persian as the second language (L2), but differ from each other with respect to the language of communication, Mazandarani and Persian, respectively. The third group has Persian as the L1 and Mazandarani as the L2, with Persian as the language of communication. English and Mazandarani pattern similarly in the target structures. That is to say, possessors precede possessed nouns and possessive adjectives come before nouns. In contrast, in Persian, possessives occur post-nominally. The results of this study reveal that none of the proposals tested (e.g. the L1 Factor, Hermas, 2010, 2014a, 2014b; the L2 Status Factor, Bardel and Falk, 2007; Falk and Bardel, 2011; the Cumulative Enhancement Model (CEM), Flynn et al., 2004; the Typological Proximity Model (TPM), Rothman, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015) could account for the results obtained. This study provides support that at the initial stages of L3 acquisition, syntactic transfer originates from the language of communication, irrespective of order of acquisition.

L2 activation and blending in third language acquisition: Evidence of crosslinguistic influence from the L2 in a longitudinal study on the acquisition of L3 English

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA SÁNCHEZ
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Third Language Acquisition ◽  
Source Language ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence

This paper reports the findings of a four-year longitudinal study that examined the role of prior linguistic knowledge on the written L3 production of 93 Spanish/Catalan learners. Two research questions guided the study: the first asked whether a background language (L1s Spanish/Catalan, L2 German) would activate in parallel with L3 English during word construction attempts involving verbal forms, and if so, which would be the source language of blending. The second addressed the progressive readjustments of L2 activation and blending in the course of the first 200 hours of instruction. The elicitation technique was a written narrative based on a story telling task. Data were collected first when the learners were on average 9.9 years old (T1), and again at the ages of 10.9 (T2), 11.9 (T3) and 12.9 (T4). The focus of analysis was on word construction attempts that involved verbal forms. The results suggest that a background language, the L2, did indeed activate, especially at early stages of L3 acquisition.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF PSYCHOSOCIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL VARIABLES TO HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE OF SPANISH

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (04) ◽  
pp. 695-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Torres ◽  
Ricardo Estremera ◽  
Sherez Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Elicited Imitation ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
Specific Contribution

AbstractIndividual differences (IDs) largely contribute to success in adult second language attainment (e.g., Dörnyei, 2006). Heritage language (HL) studies have also explored the role of IDs, namely psychosocial variables, and biographical factors with an adult HL learner population. However, the specific contribution of these variables to HL learners' performance on linguistic tests that differ in degree of explicitness and modality remains unknown. Therefore, the current study tested 103 adult HL learners of Spanish who completed a spoken elicited imitation task (EIT) and a written untimed grammaticality judgment task (UGJT) that elicited their knowledge of vulnerable morphosyntactic structures in HL bilingual acquisition. To investigate the contribution of individual learner factors on their performance, participants completed a few questionnaires. Mixed-effects regression models revealed that sequential bilingual status, willingness to communicate, generation and motivation contributed significantly, but yet differentially to participants' performance on grammatical and ungrammatical items of the EIT and UGJT.

The role of intonation cues in aphasic patients' performance of the grammaticality judgment task

1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Sloan Berndt ◽  
Aita Salasoo ◽  
Charlotte C. Mitchum ◽  
Sheila E. Blumstein
Keyword(s):  
Judgment Task ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment

“I Readed the Book Last Week.” The Role of Dominant Language, Receptive Vocabulary and Language Structure on Morphosyntactic Awareness in Monolingual and Heritage Language Children

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1045-1062 ◽  
Author(s):  
DENISE DAVIDSON ◽  
SANDRA B. VANEGAS ◽  
ELIZABETH HILVERT ◽  
IEVA MISIUNAITE
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Language Group ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
Language Structure ◽  
Middle Range

In this research, 5- and 6-year-old monolingual (English) and heritage language (English–Spanish, English–Urdu) children completed a grammaticality judgment test to assess their awareness of grammatically correct and incorrect morphosyntactic structures in English. Results demonstrated that language group differences were minimized when heritage language children exhibited average receptive vocabulary proficiency for the sample, and when more difficult morphosyntactic structures were assessed. In this middle range, only two group differences were found. Our findings highlight the need to consider factors such as receptive vocabulary when assessing morphosyntactic awareness and language group differences.

Aspectual interpretation and mass/count knowledge in Chinese-English bilinguals

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Yin ◽  
Beth Ann O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Judgment Task ◽  
Semantic Interpretation ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Input Interface ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
Recent Interest ◽  
Linguistic Input ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Chinese And English

Abstract Given recent interest in interface properties in bilingual acquisition, this study examined Chinese-English adolescent bilinguals' acquisition of English telicity – a property whose semantic interpretation (aspectual completion versus incompletion) is influenced by morphosyntax (mass/count distinction). Differences between Chinese and English exist in both mass/count (Chierchia, 1998) and telicity (Soh & Kuo, 2005). Despite existing L2 literature on telicity and mass/count, the relationship between these two areas in learning has not been adequately addressed. A naturalness rating task (on telicity) and a grammaticality judgment task (on mass/count) were administered on 120 bilingual participants (11 and 14 year olds). Our results overall show that mass/count knowledge was acquirable whereas telicity was only partially so. There was a small correlation between these two areas of knowledge. We discuss our results in terms of the role of linguistic input, interface variation, methodological issues, and the nature of telicity marking in Chinese.

Oscillatory Responses to Semantic and Syntactic Violations

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 2840-2862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Kielar ◽  
Jed A. Meltzer ◽  
Sylvain Moreno ◽  
Claude Alain ◽  
Ellen Bialystok
Keyword(s):  
Time Domain ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Linguistic Processing ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
Highly Correlated

EEG studies employing time–frequency analysis have revealed changes in theta and alpha power in a variety of language and memory tasks. Semantic and syntactic violations embedded in sentences evoke well-known ERPs, but little is known about the oscillatory responses to these violations. We investigated oscillatory responses to both kinds of violations, while monolingual and bilingual participants performed an acceptability judgment task. Both violations elicited power decreases (event-related desynchronization, ERD) in the 8–30 Hz frequency range, but with different scalp topographies. In addition, semantic anomalies elicited power increases (event-related synchronization, ERS) in the 1–5 Hz frequency band. The 1–5 Hz ERS was strongly phase-locked to stimulus onset and highly correlated with time domain averages, whereas the 8–30 Hz ERD response varied independently of these. In addition, the results showed that language expertise modulated 8–30 Hz ERD for syntactic violations as a function of the executive demands of the task. When the executive function demands were increased using a grammaticality judgment task, bilinguals but not monolinguals demonstrated reduced 8–30 Hz ERD for syntactic violations. These findings suggest a putative role of the 8–30 Hz ERD response as a marker of linguistic processing that likely represents a separate neural process from those underlying ERPs.

scholarly journals Uncovering transfer effects of dominance and proficiency in L3 English acquisition using the visual moving window paradigm and grammaticality judgments

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Angelovska ◽  
Dietmar Roehm ◽  
Sabrina Weinmüller
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Moving Window ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Third Language Acquisition ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
Russian Speakers ◽  
Key Factor

AbstractUsing a novel combination of visual moving window paradigm and timed grammaticality judgment task, this study examines how third language (L3) learners (beginners and intermediate) with L2 German and different non-verb-second L1s process violated and non-violated main declarative sentences with fronted adverbials in L3 English. It examines the extent to which so far less-explored predictors (language dominance and proficiency) modulate non-facilitative word order transfer from the L2. Our results from experiment 1 corroborate existing (offline data) results (Angelovska, Tanja. 2017. (When) do L3 English learners transfer form L2 German? Evidence from spoken and written data by L1 Russian speakers. In Tanja Angelovska & Angela Hahn (eds.), L3 syntactic transfer: Models, new developments and implications (Bilingual Processing and Acquisition 5), 195–222. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins; Fallah, Nader & Ali Akbar Jabbari. 2018. L3 acquisition of English attributive adjectives dominant language of communication matters for syntactic cross-linguistic influence. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism 8. 193–216) and are in support of a hybrid transfer suggesting that neither proficiency nor dominance plays a role in transfer selection. Results from experiment 2 reveal that L1-dominance was the determining key factor for accuracy performance for low proficiency L3 subjects but higher L3 proficiency tended to neutralize this strong influence - providing evidence for the Scalpel Model (Slabakova, Roumyana. 2017. The scalpel model of third language acquisition. International Journal of Bilingualism 21. 651–665). We explain the contradictory results from the two experiments as a function of task effects.

Aspect in Heritage Greek: evidence from elicited production and online judgments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Anastasia Paspali ◽  
Vasiliki Rizou ◽  
Artemis Alexiadou
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
Grammatical Aspect ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
The Us

Abstract This study tests grammatical aspect in adult Heritage Speakers (HSs) of Greek in Germany (HSs-Germany) and the US (HSs-US), a topic which has not been investigated before for this language, exploring the role of the dominant language and the default value as an acquisition strategy. In an oral elicitation task (Experiment 1) targeting the production of aspectual marking in Greek, Greek monolinguals (MSs) and HSs-Germany exhibited ceiling performance, while HSs-US were significantly less accurate. Education in Greek reliably predicted their accuracy. In a speeded Grammaticality Judgment task (Experiment 2) targeting the comprehension of aspect in a Grammaticality x Aspect repeated measures design, similar results were obtained for the grammatical conditions as in Experiment 1. In ungrammatical conditions, accuracy on aspect was affected for all groups, and this was more evident for HSs. HSs-US were overall less accurate with the morphologically marked form (perfective). Decision Times (DTs) revealed that only MSs and HSs-Germany were sensitive to aspect violations exhibiting longer DTs. Education in Greek reliably predicted accuracy and DTs. The results are discussed within the realm of heritage languages, language contact, and aspect acquisition in Greek bilingual populations. Finally, certain novel verbal forms produced by HSs are also discussed.

Meaning predictability and compound interpretation: A psycholinguistic investigation

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L. Gagné ◽  
Kristan A. Marchak ◽  
Thomas L. Spalding
Keyword(s):  
Judgment Task ◽  
Verification Task

The central aim of this paper is to investigate Štekauer's (2005 , 2006 ) notion of meaning predictability within a psycholinguistic framework. In particular, we examined whether novel compounds with low meaning predictability are more difficult to interpret than are compounds with higher meaning predictability. A second aim is to evaluate the influence of the components of meaning predictability (i.e., the goodness of a particular reading, as well as the prevalence of that reading) on comprehension. We report the results of two experiments conducted with novel compounds (e.g., wool basket and adolescent doctor). In Experiment 1, participants performed a sense/nonsense judgment task. In Experiment 2, participants performed a verification task in which they indicated whether a particular reading was appropriate. The results confirm that meaning predictability influences ease of interpretation, but also indicate that the role of the components of meaning predictability differs between the two tasks.

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