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Chapter 11. “And yet it moves”

Finding a place for phonology in the GenSLA cosmos
  • John Archibald
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Abstract

The study of Lx phonology is under-represented in the GenSLA literature. I argue that this is largely because the complex learnability issues in the phonological domain have been under-appreciated. Drawing on examples from features and syllables, I illustrate that the acquisition of phonology is subject to poverty of the stimulus effects. Consequently, it follows that phonological representations are learned and not merely noticed in the environment. Furthermore, phonological grammars are shown to be generative, and hierarchical. By adopting abstract representational models we can both describe and explain learner behaviour. I explore the role of phonology in morphological and syntactic interfaces, and conclude with a discussion of real-world implications with regard to pronunciation training, and broader societal concerns.

Abstract

The study of Lx phonology is under-represented in the GenSLA literature. I argue that this is largely because the complex learnability issues in the phonological domain have been under-appreciated. Drawing on examples from features and syllables, I illustrate that the acquisition of phonology is subject to poverty of the stimulus effects. Consequently, it follows that phonological representations are learned and not merely noticed in the environment. Furthermore, phonological grammars are shown to be generative, and hierarchical. By adopting abstract representational models we can both describe and explain learner behaviour. I explore the role of phonology in morphological and syntactic interfaces, and conclude with a discussion of real-world implications with regard to pronunciation training, and broader societal concerns.

Chapters in this book

  1. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Section A. (Null) subjects and anaphora resolution
  6. Chapter 1. What the acquisition of Japanese vs. Chinese contributes to generative approaches to SLA 10
  7. Chapter 2. Extending the Decreased Activation Hypothesis 37
  8. Chapter 3. Complements and adjuncts of  one in L2 English noun drop 63
  9. Section B. The nominal domain
  10. Chapter 4. Second language acquisition of English plurals by Chinese learners 88
  11. Chapter 5. Revisiting plurality in SLA 111
  12. Chapter 6. L2 acquisition of English flexible count and flexible mass nouns by L1-Japanese and L1-Spanish speakers 134
  13. Section C. Sensitivity in L2 processing & ambiguity resolution
  14. Chapter 7. Structural change and ambiguity resolution in L2 learners of English 172
  15. Chapter 8. Offline L2-English relative clause attachment preferences 197
  16. Chapter 9. Sensitivity to silently structured interveners 220
  17. Chapter 10. Sensitivity to event structure in passives supports deep processing in L1 and L2 238
  18. Section D. Forms and representations at the interfaces
  19. Chapter 11. “And yet it moves” 264
  20. Chapter 12. There isn’t a problem with indefinites in existential constructions in L2-English 290
  21. Section E. Factors in bi- and multilingual development
  22. Chapter 13. UG-as-Guide in selection and reassembly of an uninterpretable feature in L2 acquisition of  wh -questions 316
  23. Chapter 14. The narrative skills of Russian-Cypriot Greek children 349
  24. Chapter 15. Multilingualism, linguistic diversity, and English in India 374
  25. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 401
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