Chapter 13. UG-as-Guide in selection and reassembly of an uninterpretable feature in L2 acquisition of wh -questions
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Takayuki Kimura
Abstract
This study explores Universal Grammar (UG) in second language (L2) acquisition, focusing on uninterpretable features. We present the UG-as-Guide (UGG) model, which contends that UG plays a pivotal role in eliminating UG-incompatible properties. We investigated L2 English wh-questions in Chinese-speaking and Japanese-speaking learners through an acceptability judgment task and an elicited production task. The data revealed that lower-intermediate learners transfer optional movement operations from their native languages, and apply these operations obligatorily, contrary to UG principles, while upper-intermediate learners display a shift towards the relevant syntactic knowledge of native speakers. This supports the UGG model, indicating that initially adopted UG-incompatible operations are subsequently adjusted to align with UG principles, underscoring the interplay between UG and interlanguage in L2 acquisition.
Abstract
This study explores Universal Grammar (UG) in second language (L2) acquisition, focusing on uninterpretable features. We present the UG-as-Guide (UGG) model, which contends that UG plays a pivotal role in eliminating UG-incompatible properties. We investigated L2 English wh-questions in Chinese-speaking and Japanese-speaking learners through an acceptability judgment task and an elicited production task. The data revealed that lower-intermediate learners transfer optional movement operations from their native languages, and apply these operations obligatorily, contrary to UG principles, while upper-intermediate learners display a shift towards the relevant syntactic knowledge of native speakers. This supports the UGG model, indicating that initially adopted UG-incompatible operations are subsequently adjusted to align with UG principles, underscoring the interplay between UG and interlanguage in L2 acquisition.
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
