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Chapter 3. The development of lexical mapping in Chinese L2

The mapping of multiple arguments, passive and causative structures
  • Bo Liu , Bruno Di Biase and Satomi Kawaguchi
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Processability and Language Acquisition in the Asia-Pacific Region
This chapter is in the book Processability and Language Acquisition in the Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract

This study tests the applicability of the Lexical Mapping Hypothesis (LMH) to the L2 acquisition of Chinese syntax within a Processability Theory framework. The LMH makes testable predictions for L2 acquisition based on the mapping between argument-structure and functional-structure. Empirical evidence from typologically diverse languages for the LMH is not robust as yet and does not include any L2 Chinese empirical study so far. This study ventures to fill the gap by testing the LMH for the acquisition of Chinese L2. Data for this investigation comes from a one-year longitudinal study on the oral production by three adult beginning learners of L2 Chinese in a Chinese university. Results show that the observed acquisition sequence of the investigated structures was consistent with the hypothesized LMT-based processing hierarchy applied to Chinese L2. This study contributes empirical evidence for the LMH, and supports the hypothesized intermediate stage, i.e., ‘default mapping and additional argument’.

Abstract

This study tests the applicability of the Lexical Mapping Hypothesis (LMH) to the L2 acquisition of Chinese syntax within a Processability Theory framework. The LMH makes testable predictions for L2 acquisition based on the mapping between argument-structure and functional-structure. Empirical evidence from typologically diverse languages for the LMH is not robust as yet and does not include any L2 Chinese empirical study so far. This study ventures to fill the gap by testing the LMH for the acquisition of Chinese L2. Data for this investigation comes from a one-year longitudinal study on the oral production by three adult beginning learners of L2 Chinese in a Chinese university. Results show that the observed acquisition sequence of the investigated structures was consistent with the hypothesized LMT-based processing hierarchy applied to Chinese L2. This study contributes empirical evidence for the LMH, and supports the hypothesized intermediate stage, i.e., ‘default mapping and additional argument’.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Chapter 1. Processability Theory, second language learning and teaching in the Asia-Pacific region 1
  5. Part 1. Asian languages as second languages
  6. Chapter 2. Studies of Japanese as a second language and their contribution to Processability Theory 27
  7. Chapter 3. The development of lexical mapping in Chinese L2 63
  8. Chapter 4. Extending PT to split ergative marking and differential object marking 91
  9. Chapter 5. Acquiring content questions in Japanese child second language 115
  10. Chapter 6. Japanese L2 corpora and SLA research 144
  11. Part 2. Bilingual first language acquisition and PT
  12. Chapter 7. The bilingual development of plural marking in a Malay-English child 165
  13. Chapter 8. Development of Japanese and English polar questions in bilingual first language acquisition 192
  14. Part 3. English as Foreign Language (EFL) in Asia
  15. Chapter 9. Developmentally moderated focus on form in an Indonesian kindergarten EFL programme 231
  16. Chapter 10. The acquisition of polar questions in Chinese learners of English as a foreign language 258
  17. Chapter 11. Testing the validity of Processability Theory through a corpus-based analysis 280
  18. About the authors 301
  19. Index 305
https://doi.org/10.1075/palart.9.03liu

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Chapter 1. Processability Theory, second language learning and teaching in the Asia-Pacific region 1
  5. Part 1. Asian languages as second languages
  6. Chapter 2. Studies of Japanese as a second language and their contribution to Processability Theory 27
  7. Chapter 3. The development of lexical mapping in Chinese L2 63
  8. Chapter 4. Extending PT to split ergative marking and differential object marking 91
  9. Chapter 5. Acquiring content questions in Japanese child second language 115
  10. Chapter 6. Japanese L2 corpora and SLA research 144
  11. Part 2. Bilingual first language acquisition and PT
  12. Chapter 7. The bilingual development of plural marking in a Malay-English child 165
  13. Chapter 8. Development of Japanese and English polar questions in bilingual first language acquisition 192
  14. Part 3. English as Foreign Language (EFL) in Asia
  15. Chapter 9. Developmentally moderated focus on form in an Indonesian kindergarten EFL programme 231
  16. Chapter 10. The acquisition of polar questions in Chinese learners of English as a foreign language 258
  17. Chapter 11. Testing the validity of Processability Theory through a corpus-based analysis 280
  18. About the authors 301
  19. Index 305
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