Are non-native speakers sensitive to microvariation in anaphora resolution?

Abstract

This study investigates anaphora resolution in L2 European Portuguese by Italian and Spanish native speakers to examine whether learners are sensitive to microvariation among these null subject Romance languages. Participants were 25 adult L1 EP speakers, 69 L1 Italian, and 42 L1 Spanish adult learners of EP at three levels: upper–intermediate, advanced, and near-native. They completed an untimed and a speeded multiple-choice task crossing the variables animacy of the matrix object and type of embedded subject. Results indicate that sensitivity to microvariation develops as L2 proficiency increases. However, learners’ performance remains permanently unstable in the areas where the L1 and the L2 differ, which is only visible in the speeded task. Our findings challenge the idea that the L1 plays a minor role in anaphora resolution and have implications for the Interface Hypothesis.