Chapter 4. Second language acquisition of English plurals by Chinese learners
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Yi Liu
Abstract
Previous research supported the proposal that multiplicity inferences (i.e., the more than one interpretation) associated with English plural morphology are scalar implicatures (Tieu et al., 2014). The current study extends the research to second language (L2) acquisition by testing Chinese-speaking learners of English. Using a Truth Value Judgment Task (TVJT) adapted from Tieu et al. (2014), we compared the interpretations of English bare plurals among Chinese adult learners and native English speakers. Results indicate that the interpretive pattern of Chinese learners closely aligns with that of the English controls’. This supports the universality of scalar implicatures in L2 and does not provide direct evidence for L1 transfer through morpheme mapping from English plural morpheme -s to Chinese plural morpheme -men.
Abstract
Previous research supported the proposal that multiplicity inferences (i.e., the more than one interpretation) associated with English plural morphology are scalar implicatures (Tieu et al., 2014). The current study extends the research to second language (L2) acquisition by testing Chinese-speaking learners of English. Using a Truth Value Judgment Task (TVJT) adapted from Tieu et al. (2014), we compared the interpretations of English bare plurals among Chinese adult learners and native English speakers. Results indicate that the interpretive pattern of Chinese learners closely aligns with that of the English controls’. This supports the universality of scalar implicatures in L2 and does not provide direct evidence for L1 transfer through morpheme mapping from English plural morpheme -s to Chinese plural morpheme -men.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
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Section A. (Null) subjects and anaphora resolution
- Chapter 1. What the acquisition of Japanese vs. Chinese contributes to generative approaches to SLA 10
- Chapter 2. Extending the Decreased Activation Hypothesis 37
- Chapter 3. Complements and adjuncts of one in L2 English noun drop 63
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Section B. The nominal domain
- Chapter 4. Second language acquisition of English plurals by Chinese learners 88
- Chapter 5. Revisiting plurality in SLA 111
- Chapter 6. L2 acquisition of English flexible count and flexible mass nouns by L1-Japanese and L1-Spanish speakers 134
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Section C. Sensitivity in L2 processing & ambiguity resolution
- Chapter 7. Structural change and ambiguity resolution in L2 learners of English 172
- Chapter 8. Offline L2-English relative clause attachment preferences 197
- Chapter 9. Sensitivity to silently structured interveners 220
- Chapter 10. Sensitivity to event structure in passives supports deep processing in L1 and L2 238
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Section D. Forms and representations at the interfaces
- Chapter 11. “And yet it moves” 264
- Chapter 12. There isn’t a problem with indefinites in existential constructions in L2-English 290
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Section E. Factors in bi- and multilingual development
- Chapter 13. UG-as-Guide in selection and reassembly of an uninterpretable feature in L2 acquisition of wh -questions 316
- Chapter 14. The narrative skills of Russian-Cypriot Greek children 349
- Chapter 15. Multilingualism, linguistic diversity, and English in India 374
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 401
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
Section A. (Null) subjects and anaphora resolution
- Chapter 1. What the acquisition of Japanese vs. Chinese contributes to generative approaches to SLA 10
- Chapter 2. Extending the Decreased Activation Hypothesis 37
- Chapter 3. Complements and adjuncts of one in L2 English noun drop 63
-
Section B. The nominal domain
- Chapter 4. Second language acquisition of English plurals by Chinese learners 88
- Chapter 5. Revisiting plurality in SLA 111
- Chapter 6. L2 acquisition of English flexible count and flexible mass nouns by L1-Japanese and L1-Spanish speakers 134
-
Section C. Sensitivity in L2 processing & ambiguity resolution
- Chapter 7. Structural change and ambiguity resolution in L2 learners of English 172
- Chapter 8. Offline L2-English relative clause attachment preferences 197
- Chapter 9. Sensitivity to silently structured interveners 220
- Chapter 10. Sensitivity to event structure in passives supports deep processing in L1 and L2 238
-
Section D. Forms and representations at the interfaces
- Chapter 11. “And yet it moves” 264
- Chapter 12. There isn’t a problem with indefinites in existential constructions in L2-English 290
-
Section E. Factors in bi- and multilingual development
- Chapter 13. UG-as-Guide in selection and reassembly of an uninterpretable feature in L2 acquisition of wh -questions 316
- Chapter 14. The narrative skills of Russian-Cypriot Greek children 349
- Chapter 15. Multilingualism, linguistic diversity, and English in India 374
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 401
