Heritage language speakers inform the critical period hypothesis for first and second language acquisition
-
Silvina Montrul
Abstract
This chapter considers how heritage language speakers, bilinguals exposed to their L1 since birth either exclusively or simultaneously with the majority language, shed new light on the role of age in language acquisition. Investigating the ultimate attainment of bilinguals with early and late exposure to their L1 and L2 helps disentangle how the roles of previous linguistic knowledge and of quantity and quality of input interact with age of onset of bilingualism. Comparing the linguistic and processing abilities of heritage speakers and L2 learners allows us to understand how the timing of input interacts with situational factors and elucidates the developmental schedule of different modules of the grammar. Early exposure is critical for aspects of phonology, syntax, and morphology.
Abstract
This chapter considers how heritage language speakers, bilinguals exposed to their L1 since birth either exclusively or simultaneously with the majority language, shed new light on the role of age in language acquisition. Investigating the ultimate attainment of bilinguals with early and late exposure to their L1 and L2 helps disentangle how the roles of previous linguistic knowledge and of quantity and quality of input interact with age of onset of bilingualism. Comparing the linguistic and processing abilities of heritage speakers and L2 learners allows us to understand how the timing of input interacts with situational factors and elucidates the developmental schedule of different modules of the grammar. Early exposure is critical for aspects of phonology, syntax, and morphology.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Introduction 1
-
L2 acquisition of syntax
- Intervention effects in L1 and L2 English raising 11
- Explaining the difficulty with L2 acquisition of scope interpretation by speakers of a scope-rigid language 41
- Definiteness and argument position in the interpretation of bare nouns 67
- L1-Mandarin L2-English learners’ acquisition of English double-quantifier scope 93
-
L2 acquisition at interfaces
- Feature dependency and the poverty of the stimulus in the acquisition of L2 German plural allomorphy 117
- Development of L2 prosody 137
- Transfer of prosodic representation 157
-
Impact of previously learned languages
- The role of L1 Norwegian and L2 English in the acquisition of verb placement in L3 German 191
- Feature reconfiguration at the syntax-discourse interface 213
-
Exploring extra-linguistic factors and their impact on L2 acquisition
- Interference-based and capacity-based approaches to working memory in second language sentence processing 243
- Heritage language speakers inform the critical period hypothesis for first and second language acquisition 265
- A different type of RC attachment resolution 287
- Subject Index 315
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Introduction 1
-
L2 acquisition of syntax
- Intervention effects in L1 and L2 English raising 11
- Explaining the difficulty with L2 acquisition of scope interpretation by speakers of a scope-rigid language 41
- Definiteness and argument position in the interpretation of bare nouns 67
- L1-Mandarin L2-English learners’ acquisition of English double-quantifier scope 93
-
L2 acquisition at interfaces
- Feature dependency and the poverty of the stimulus in the acquisition of L2 German plural allomorphy 117
- Development of L2 prosody 137
- Transfer of prosodic representation 157
-
Impact of previously learned languages
- The role of L1 Norwegian and L2 English in the acquisition of verb placement in L3 German 191
- Feature reconfiguration at the syntax-discourse interface 213
-
Exploring extra-linguistic factors and their impact on L2 acquisition
- Interference-based and capacity-based approaches to working memory in second language sentence processing 243
- Heritage language speakers inform the critical period hypothesis for first and second language acquisition 265
- A different type of RC attachment resolution 287
- Subject Index 315
