The functional roles of lexical devices in second language learners’ encoding of temporality: A study of Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners
-
Li Ma
,
Gita Martohardjono
Abstract
The present study investigates the functional roles of two lexical devices, past-time temporal adverbials and frequency adverbs, in Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners’ encoding of temporality in their English interlanguage. The results of the present study indicate that past-time temporal adverbials are facilitative in Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners’ encoding of past time. Meanwhile, the existence/absence of the matrix agreement, which is a linguistic device that has not been discussed in previous studies, may also lead to learners’ different reactions. The results of the present study also show that the introduction of frequency adverbs is associated with a higher usage rate of the present tense and causes more difficulty in a past tense context. This association is found to exist not only in learners’ data, but also in English native speakers’ data. The present study contributes to our understanding of the development of second language learners’ expression of temporal locations and relations.
Appendix: Sample passages in the cloze test
1. Mary had an appointment with Dr Smith whom her health insurance plan covers as an in-network doctor. Mary _____________ (to visit) Dr Smith because of her ear infection.
2. The man gave a speech which contains long, boring explanations for simple questions. Helen often _____________ (to interrupt) the man with harsh questions.
3. John moved into his new apartment which has a shiny wood floor. John _____________ (to wipe) the floor with a new mop last night.
4. Mary has an appointment with Dr Smith who cured her heart disease. Dr Smith _____________ (to charge) lower price for patients without health insurance.
5. Mary loves this singer who became famous in the 1990’s. She _____________ (to wait) for five hours outside of his hotel for his signature.
6. John carries his girlfriend who fell off the horse on his back. The horse often _____________ (to injure) inexperienced horse riders.
7. Peter attends the music school where he received $5,000 financial aid. Peter _____________ (to practice) singing the new song ten times yesterday.
References
Andersen, Roger W. 1991. Developmental sequences: The emergence of aspect marking in second language acquisition. In Charles A. Ferguson & Thom Huebner (eds.), Second language acquisition and linguistic theories, 305–324. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins.10.1075/lald.2.17andSearch in Google Scholar
Andersen, Roger W. & Yasuhiro Shirai. 1996. The primacy of aspect in first and second language acquisition: The pidgin-creole connection. In William C. Ritchie & Tej K. Bhatia (eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition, 527–570. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.10.1016/B978-012589042-7/50018-9Search in Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, Kathleen. 1992. The use of adverbials and natural order in the development of temporal expressions. International Review of Applied Linguistics 30(4). 299–320.10.1515/iral.1992.30.4.299Search in Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, Kathleen. 1994. Reverse-order reports and the acquisition of tense: Beyond the principle of chronological order. Language Learning 44(2). 243–282.10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01102.xSearch in Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, Kathleen. 1998. Narrative structure and lexical aspect: Conspiring factors in second language acquisition of tense-aspect morphology. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 20. 471–508.10.1017/S0272263198004021Search in Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, Kathleen. 1999. From morpheme studies to temporal semantics: Tense-aspect research in SLA. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 21. 341–382.10.1017/S0272263199003010Search in Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, Kathleen & Dudley W. Reynolds. 1995. The role of lexical aspect in the acquisition of tense and aspect. TESOL Quarterly 29(1). 107–131.10.2307/3587807Search in Google Scholar
Dietrich, Rainer, Wolfgang Klein & Colette Noyau. 1995. The acquisition of temporality in a second language. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins.10.1075/sibil.7Search in Google Scholar
Dowty, David R. 1979. Word meaning in Montague grammar. Dordrecht: Reidel.10.1007/978-94-009-9473-7Search in Google Scholar
Kim, Shin-Hye. 1999. The acquisition of tense and aspect by Korean and Chinese learners of English. Austin, TX: University of Texas at Austin dissertation.Search in Google Scholar
Klein, Wolfgang. 1995. The acquisition of English. In Rainer Dietrich, Wolfgang Klein & Colette Noyau (eds.), The acquisition of temporality in a second language, 31–70. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins.10.1075/sibil.7.04kleSearch in Google Scholar
Lee, Eun Joo. 2001. Interlanguage development by two Korean speakers of English with a focus on temporality. Language Learning 51(4). 591–633.10.1111/0023-8333.00169Search in Google Scholar
Lin, Jo-Wang. 2003. Temporal reference in Mandarin Chinese. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 12(3). 259–311.10.1023/A:1023665301095Search in Google Scholar
Matthews, Stephen & Virginia Yip. 1994. Cantonese: A comprehensive grammar. London and New York: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Mourelatos, Alexander P. D. 1981. Events, processes, and states. In Philip Tedeschi & Annie Zaenen (eds.), Tense and aspect. (Syntax and semantics 14), 191–212. New York: Academic Press.10.1163/9789004373112_012Search in Google Scholar
Robison, Richard. 1990. The primacy of aspect: Aspectual marking in English interlanguage. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 12. 315–330.10.1017/S0272263100009190Search in Google Scholar
Schumann, John H. 1987. The expression of temporality in basilang speech. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 9. 21–42.10.1017/S0272263100006495Search in Google Scholar
Shirai, Yasuhiro. 1991. Primacy of aspect in language acquisition: Simplified input and prototype. Los Angeles, CA: University of California at Los Angeles dissertation.Search in Google Scholar
Smith, Carlota S. 1991. The parameter of aspect. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers.10.1007/978-94-015-7911-7Search in Google Scholar
Thompson, J. Charles. 1968. Aspect of the Chinese verb. Linguistics 38. 70–76.10.1515/ling.1968.6.38.70Search in Google Scholar
Vendler, Zeno. 1967. Linguistics in philosophy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.10.7591/9781501743726Search in Google Scholar
Véronique, Daniel. 1987. Reference to past events and actions in narratives in L2: Insights from north African workers’ French. In Carol Wollman Pfaff (ed.), First and second language acquisition processes, 252–272. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.Search in Google Scholar
von Stutterheim, Christiane & Wolfgang Klein. 1987. A concept-oriented approach to second language studies. In Carol Wollman Pfaff (ed.), First and second language acquisition processes, 191–205. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.Search in Google Scholar
Yang, Suying & Yue Yuan Huang. 2004. The impact of the absence of grammatical tense in L1 on the acquisition of the tense-aspect system in L2. International Review of Applied Linguistics 42. 47–70.10.1515/iral.2004.002Search in Google Scholar
© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- A double-edged sword: Metaphor and metonymy through pictures for learning idioms
- The functional roles of lexical devices in second language learners’ encoding of temporality: A study of Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners
- The same cloze for all occasions?
- The effect of written text on comprehension of spoken English as a foreign language: A replication study
- Cut-offs and co-occurring gestures: Similarities between speakers’ first and second languages
- Bilingual patterns of path encoding: A study of Polish L1-German L2 and Polish L1-Spanish L2 speakers
- Concordancing in writing pedagogy and CAF measures of writing
- D-linked and non-d-linked wh-questions in L2 French and L3 English
- Effects of pragmatic instruction on EFL teenagers’ apologetic email writing: Comprehension, production, and cognitive processes
- Music training and the use of songs or rhythm: Do they help for lexical stress processing?
- Second language processing of English past tense morphology: The role of working memory
- Recasts versus clarification requests: The relevance of linguistic target, proficiency, and communicative ability
- The role of self-construal in EFL vocabulary learning
- The cross-sectional development of verb–noun collocations as constructions in L2 writing
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- A double-edged sword: Metaphor and metonymy through pictures for learning idioms
- The functional roles of lexical devices in second language learners’ encoding of temporality: A study of Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners
- The same cloze for all occasions?
- The effect of written text on comprehension of spoken English as a foreign language: A replication study
- Cut-offs and co-occurring gestures: Similarities between speakers’ first and second languages
- Bilingual patterns of path encoding: A study of Polish L1-German L2 and Polish L1-Spanish L2 speakers
- Concordancing in writing pedagogy and CAF measures of writing
- D-linked and non-d-linked wh-questions in L2 French and L3 English
- Effects of pragmatic instruction on EFL teenagers’ apologetic email writing: Comprehension, production, and cognitive processes
- Music training and the use of songs or rhythm: Do they help for lexical stress processing?
- Second language processing of English past tense morphology: The role of working memory
- Recasts versus clarification requests: The relevance of linguistic target, proficiency, and communicative ability
- The role of self-construal in EFL vocabulary learning
- The cross-sectional development of verb–noun collocations as constructions in L2 writing
