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Acquiring L2 Pronoun Interpretation Biases: Implicit Learning at the Discourse Level in L2 English
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Contemori, Carla; Mossman, Sabrina; Ramos, Alba K. – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2022
Learners of a nonnull subject language (e.g., English) whose first language (L1) is a null subject language (e.g., Spanish) can show some optionality in the interpretation of overt subject pronouns in the second language (L2). By exposing L2 learners to nativelike interpretations of pronouns in discourse, we aim at understanding how exposure can…
Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Spanish
Observing the Emergence of Constructional Knowledge: Verb Patterns in German and Spanish Learners of English at Different Proficiency Levels
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Römer, Ute; Berger, Cynthia M. – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019
Based on writing produced by second language learners at different proficiency levels (CEFR A1 to C1), we adopted a usage-based approach (Ellis, Römer, & O'Donnell, 2016; Tyler & Ortega, 2018) to investigate how German and Spanish learner knowledge of 19 English verb-argument constructions (VACs; e.g., "V with n," illustrated by…
Descriptors: German, Language Proficiency, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction
Production and Comprehension in Processability Theory: A Self-Paced Reading Study
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Spinner, Patti; Jung, Sehoon – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2018
The purpose of this study was to determine whether processability theory (PT; Pienemann, 1998, 2005) accounts for the emergence of grammatical forms and structures in comprehension. Sixty-one learners of English participated in oral interviews that elicited a variety of structures relevant to PT. Learners were divided into two groups: those who…
Descriptors: Reading Processes, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction
Testing the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis: L2 Adult, L2 Child, and L1 Child Comparisons in the Acquisition of Korean "Wh"-Constructions with Negative Polarity Items
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Song, Hyang Suk; Schwartz, Bonnie D. – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2009
The fundamental difference hypothesis (FDH; Bley-Vroman, 1989, 1990) contends that the nature of language in natives is fundamentally different from the nature of language in adult nonnatives. This study tests the FDH in two ways: (a) via second language (L2) poverty-of-the-stimulus (POS) problems (e.g., Schwartz & Sprouse, 2000) and (b) via a…
Descriptors: Form Classes (Languages), Word Order, Language Acquisition, Linguistic Theory
Paths of Processing Strategy Transfers in Learning Japanese and English as Foreign Languages: A Competition Model Approach.
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Sasaki, Yoshinori – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1994
A competition model experiment is reported that investigated the sentence-processing strategies of English-speaking learners of Japanese and Japanese-speaking learners of English. Results indicated a correlation between learners' proficiency in Japanese and case-marker dependency in Japanese strings. (Contains 23 references.) (Author/LB)
Descriptors: English, Foreign Countries, Japanese, Language Acquisition
Comprehension Processes in L2 Reading: Language Competence, Textual Coherence, and Inferences.
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Horiba, Yukie – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1996
Examines four groups of readers: second-language (L2) intermediate; L2 advanced; first-language (L1) Japanese; and L1 English) when they processed and recalled two passages varying in degree of causal coherence. Findings indicate that L1 readers used much of their attention for higher level processes, whereas L2 readers paid more attention to…
Descriptors: Attention Control, Cognitive Processes, Coherence, College Students
Lexical Constraints on Syntactic Acquisition.
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Ard, Josh; Gass, Susan M. – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1987
Data from responses to a grammaticality judgement test by 26 learners of English as a second language at two proficiency levels were used to investigate syntactic acquisition. Four syntactic structures were examined. Results suggest that less proficient subjects use syntactic strategies, while more proficient learners use semantic-based…
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Grammatical Acceptability, Higher Education, Interlanguage
Production vs. Comprehension: Differences in Underlying Competencies.
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Flynn, Suzanne – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1986
Fifty-one adult Spanish speakers at three levels of ESL ability were tested in both their elicited imitation (production) and act-out (comprehension) of complex sentences that were structurally identical. Analysis of variance results indicate that production tests, not comprehension tests, principally evaluate a learner's structural knowledge.…
Descriptors: Adults, Analysis of Variance, English (Second Language), Error Analysis (Language)