Converging evidence in the typology of motion events
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Nina Reshöft
Abstract
This chapter investigates the influence of motion event typology on second language acquisition. Recent research on motion events (e.g. Slobin 1996a/b, 2000, 2004) has shown that speakers of typologically different languages (verb-framed vs. satellite-framed, cf. Talmy 1985, 1991, 2000) differ in where they code manner and path of motion. English, for example, codes manner in the verb and path in adjuncts. Romance languages typically code path in the verb, while manner expression is optional. The corpus analysis focuses on the way Romance learners of English express motion events in their written L2 production. The analysis provides converging evidence with previous research in that learners are likely to transfer the verb-framed patterns from their L1s to their English interlanguage.
Abstract
This chapter investigates the influence of motion event typology on second language acquisition. Recent research on motion events (e.g. Slobin 1996a/b, 2000, 2004) has shown that speakers of typologically different languages (verb-framed vs. satellite-framed, cf. Talmy 1985, 1991, 2000) differ in where they code manner and path of motion. English, for example, codes manner in the verb and path in adjuncts. Romance languages typically code path in the verb, while manner expression is optional. The corpus analysis focuses on the way Romance learners of English express motion events in their written L2 production. The analysis provides converging evidence with previous research in that learners are likely to transfer the verb-framed patterns from their L1s to their English interlanguage.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction 1
- Issues in collecting converging evidence 33
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Part 1. Multi-methodological approaches to constructional and idiomatic meaning
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1.1. Cognition verb constructions
- Perception and conception 57
- Explaining diverging evidence 81
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1.2. Constructional alternatives
- I am about to die vs. I am going to die 115
- Studying syntactic priming in corpora 143
- Islands of (im)productivity in corpus data and acceptability judgments 165
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1.3. Idioms and creative language use
- Compositional and embodied meanings of somatisms 195
- Word-formation patterns in a cross-linguistic perspective 221
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Part 2. Multi-methodological approaches to language acquisition
- The interaction of function and input frequency in L1-acquisition 249
- Relative clause acquisition and representation 273
- Converging evidence in the typology of motion events 293
-
Part 3. Multi-methodological approaches to the study of discourse
- Differences in the use of emotion metaphors in expert-lay communication 319
- Index 349
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction 1
- Issues in collecting converging evidence 33
-
Part 1. Multi-methodological approaches to constructional and idiomatic meaning
-
1.1. Cognition verb constructions
- Perception and conception 57
- Explaining diverging evidence 81
-
1.2. Constructional alternatives
- I am about to die vs. I am going to die 115
- Studying syntactic priming in corpora 143
- Islands of (im)productivity in corpus data and acceptability judgments 165
-
1.3. Idioms and creative language use
- Compositional and embodied meanings of somatisms 195
- Word-formation patterns in a cross-linguistic perspective 221
-
Part 2. Multi-methodological approaches to language acquisition
- The interaction of function and input frequency in L1-acquisition 249
- Relative clause acquisition and representation 273
- Converging evidence in the typology of motion events 293
-
Part 3. Multi-methodological approaches to the study of discourse
- Differences in the use of emotion metaphors in expert-lay communication 319
- Index 349
