Language transfer in child SLA: A longitudinal case study of a sequential bilingual
-
Eun-Young Kwon
Abstract
In this chapter we report on a 26-month longitudinal study of a Korean-speaking child acquiring L2 English in the United States (AoA: 3;6). Focusing on negation, plural, and possessive marking, we examined the nature of language transfer as a function of changes occurring in the participant’s L1 and L2. We subsequently found bidirectional transfer in the child’s placement of the negator, reverse transfer in certain plural constructions, and a delay in the acquisition of possessive marking that is attributable to the lack of a corresponding feature in the participant’s developing L1. Importantly, this pattern of transfer appears to arise from the waxing and waning of the child’s L1 and L2.
Foster-Cohen (2001) suggests a sliding-window approach to understanding child second language acquisition (SLA). She views development as a continuum along a variety of axes, including but not limited to age, cognitive maturity, and proficiency, which are interrelated such that waxing along one axis may coincide with waning along another. Adopting the “sliding window” notion as its conceptual backdrop, this chapter reports on the longitudinal study focusing on language transfer as a function of changes occurring in the child’s L1 and L2. Transfer was herein defined as a process in L2 acquisition (L2A) whereby one language influences the other. This is dubbed substratum transfer when the influence comes from the L1 and reverse transfer when the influence comes from the L2 (Odlin 1989).
Abstract
In this chapter we report on a 26-month longitudinal study of a Korean-speaking child acquiring L2 English in the United States (AoA: 3;6). Focusing on negation, plural, and possessive marking, we examined the nature of language transfer as a function of changes occurring in the participant’s L1 and L2. We subsequently found bidirectional transfer in the child’s placement of the negator, reverse transfer in certain plural constructions, and a delay in the acquisition of possessive marking that is attributable to the lack of a corresponding feature in the participant’s developing L1. Importantly, this pattern of transfer appears to arise from the waxing and waning of the child’s L1 and L2.
Foster-Cohen (2001) suggests a sliding-window approach to understanding child second language acquisition (SLA). She views development as a continuum along a variety of axes, including but not limited to age, cognitive maturity, and proficiency, which are interrelated such that waxing along one axis may coincide with waning along another. Adopting the “sliding window” notion as its conceptual backdrop, this chapter reports on the longitudinal study focusing on language transfer as a function of changes occurring in the child’s L1 and L2. Transfer was herein defined as a process in L2 acquisition (L2A) whereby one language influences the other. This is dubbed substratum transfer when the influence comes from the L1 and reverse transfer when the influence comes from the L2 (Odlin 1989).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
-
Introduction
- Child's play? Second language acquisition and the younger learner in context 3
-
Section 1. Characteristics of child SLA
- Defining child second language acquisition, defining roles for L2 instruction 27
- Perspectives on second language acquisition at different ages 53
-
Section 2. Instructed language learning in the early years of education
- When the gate opens: The interaction between social and linguistic goals in child second language development 83
- Developing conversational skills in a second language: Language learning affordances in a multiparty classroom setting 105
- The impact of teacher input, guidance and feedback on ESL children's task-based interactions 131
- Negotiation of meaning in the classroom: Does it enhance reading comprehension? 149
-
Section 3. Instructed language learning in later years of education
- Incidental focus on form and learning outcomes with young foreign language classroom learners 173
- Speeding up acquisition of his and her : Explicit L1/L2 contrasts help 193
-
Section 4. Child SLA at home and in the community
- Acquiring Japanese as a second language (JSL) in a naturalistic context: A longitudinal study of a young child from a Processability Theory (PT) perspective 231
- Learning a second language in the family 255
- Home-school connections for international adoptees: Repetition in parent-child interactions 279
- Language transfer in child SLA: A longitudinal case study of a sequential bilingual 303
- Index 333
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
-
Introduction
- Child's play? Second language acquisition and the younger learner in context 3
-
Section 1. Characteristics of child SLA
- Defining child second language acquisition, defining roles for L2 instruction 27
- Perspectives on second language acquisition at different ages 53
-
Section 2. Instructed language learning in the early years of education
- When the gate opens: The interaction between social and linguistic goals in child second language development 83
- Developing conversational skills in a second language: Language learning affordances in a multiparty classroom setting 105
- The impact of teacher input, guidance and feedback on ESL children's task-based interactions 131
- Negotiation of meaning in the classroom: Does it enhance reading comprehension? 149
-
Section 3. Instructed language learning in later years of education
- Incidental focus on form and learning outcomes with young foreign language classroom learners 173
- Speeding up acquisition of his and her : Explicit L1/L2 contrasts help 193
-
Section 4. Child SLA at home and in the community
- Acquiring Japanese as a second language (JSL) in a naturalistic context: A longitudinal study of a young child from a Processability Theory (PT) perspective 231
- Learning a second language in the family 255
- Home-school connections for international adoptees: Repetition in parent-child interactions 279
- Language transfer in child SLA: A longitudinal case study of a sequential bilingual 303
- Index 333
