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Chapter 6. Developing morpho-syntax in non-configurational languages

A comparison between Russian L2 and Italian L2
  • Marco Magnani
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Widening Contexts for Processability Theory
This chapter is in the book Widening Contexts for Processability Theory

Abstract

Within the Processability Theory (PT) framework, the Topic Hypothesis (Pienemann et al., 2005) and its recent reformulation as the Prominence Hypothesis (Bettoni & Di Biase, 2015) have contributed substantially to explaining syntactic development in non-configurational languages, adding an important discourse-pragmatic component. However, the role of morphological development cannot be ignored, because in this type of languages it is morphology that constructs syntactic relations (Nordlinger, 1998). This chapter will look at syntactic development by attempting to incorporate both morphological and discourse-pragmatic factors in a way that is consistent with the predictions of PT’s Prominence Hypothesis. Specifically, I will look at the development of morpho-syntax in Russian L2 and Italian L2 – two languages located towards the less configurational end of the typological spectrum, the former more dependent-marking, the latter more head-marking.

Abstract

Within the Processability Theory (PT) framework, the Topic Hypothesis (Pienemann et al., 2005) and its recent reformulation as the Prominence Hypothesis (Bettoni & Di Biase, 2015) have contributed substantially to explaining syntactic development in non-configurational languages, adding an important discourse-pragmatic component. However, the role of morphological development cannot be ignored, because in this type of languages it is morphology that constructs syntactic relations (Nordlinger, 1998). This chapter will look at syntactic development by attempting to incorporate both morphological and discourse-pragmatic factors in a way that is consistent with the predictions of PT’s Prominence Hypothesis. Specifically, I will look at the development of morpho-syntax in Russian L2 and Italian L2 – two languages located towards the less configurational end of the typological spectrum, the former more dependent-marking, the latter more head-marking.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Chapter 1. Contextualising issues in Processability Theory 1
  5. Section 1. Language production and comprehension processes
  6. Chapter 2. Towards an integrated model of grammatical encoding and decoding in SLA 13
  7. Chapter 3. Productive and receptive processes in PT 49
  8. Chapter 4. Is morpho-syntactic decoding governed by Processability Theory? 73
  9. Section 2. Language acquisition features across typological boundaries
  10. Chapter 5. Case within the phrasal procedure stage 105
  11. Chapter 6. Developing morpho-syntax in non-configurational languages 131
  12. Section 3. Language use and developmental trajectories
  13. Chapter 7. Using the Multiplicity framework to reposition and reframe the Hypothesis Space 157
  14. Chapter 8. Processability Theory as a tool in the study of a heritage speaker of Norwegian 185
  15. Chapter 9. Discourse-pragmatic conditions for Object topicalisation structures in early L2 Chinese 207
  16. Chapter 10. Modelling relative clauses in Processability Theory and Lexical-Functional Grammar 231
  17. Chapter 11. Early development and relative clause constructions in English as a second language 255
  18. Section 4. Language learning and teaching issues in relation to classroom and assessment contexts
  19. Chapter 12. Exploiting the potential of tasks for targeted language learning in the EFL classroom 285
  20. Chapter 13. Teaching the German case system 301
  21. Chapter 14. Development of English question formation in the EFL context of China 327
  22. Chapter 15. Can print literacy impact upon learning to speak Standard Australian English? 349
  23. Chapter 16. The role of grammatical development in oral assessment 371
  24. Chapter 17. How does PT’s view of acquisition relate to the challenge of widening perspectives on SLA? 391
  25. Index 399
https://doi.org/10.1075/palart.7.06mag

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Chapter 1. Contextualising issues in Processability Theory 1
  5. Section 1. Language production and comprehension processes
  6. Chapter 2. Towards an integrated model of grammatical encoding and decoding in SLA 13
  7. Chapter 3. Productive and receptive processes in PT 49
  8. Chapter 4. Is morpho-syntactic decoding governed by Processability Theory? 73
  9. Section 2. Language acquisition features across typological boundaries
  10. Chapter 5. Case within the phrasal procedure stage 105
  11. Chapter 6. Developing morpho-syntax in non-configurational languages 131
  12. Section 3. Language use and developmental trajectories
  13. Chapter 7. Using the Multiplicity framework to reposition and reframe the Hypothesis Space 157
  14. Chapter 8. Processability Theory as a tool in the study of a heritage speaker of Norwegian 185
  15. Chapter 9. Discourse-pragmatic conditions for Object topicalisation structures in early L2 Chinese 207
  16. Chapter 10. Modelling relative clauses in Processability Theory and Lexical-Functional Grammar 231
  17. Chapter 11. Early development and relative clause constructions in English as a second language 255
  18. Section 4. Language learning and teaching issues in relation to classroom and assessment contexts
  19. Chapter 12. Exploiting the potential of tasks for targeted language learning in the EFL classroom 285
  20. Chapter 13. Teaching the German case system 301
  21. Chapter 14. Development of English question formation in the EFL context of China 327
  22. Chapter 15. Can print literacy impact upon learning to speak Standard Australian English? 349
  23. Chapter 16. The role of grammatical development in oral assessment 371
  24. Chapter 17. How does PT’s view of acquisition relate to the challenge of widening perspectives on SLA? 391
  25. Index 399
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