Learner Difficulties with German Case: Implications from an Action Research Study

Ritterbusch, Rachel; LaFond, Larry; Agustin, Marcus A.

doi:10.1111/j.1756-1221.2006.tb00014.x

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(1 reference statement)

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“…To summarize, the present study examined how L2 German speakers at different proficiency levels processed case‐marking information—a key morphosyntactic feature of German that is largely absent in English and often difficult for L2 German speakers to master (Jackson, 2007; Ritterbusch et al, 2006)—to resolve subject‐object ambiguities in German. Results showed that although intermediate L2 speakers had difficulty processing case‐marking information during online sentence comprehension, results from the advanced L2 speakers suggest that with increased proficiency, L2 German speakers can reach a stage where they are able to rapidly process case markings and use this information to aid comprehension.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study utilizes sentences that are temporarily ambiguous as to whether the initial noun is the grammatical subject or the direct object, with disambiguating information conveyed via case markings on the second noun phrase. Previous research has shown that for L2 German speakers with English as their native language, acquiring the German case‐marking system is difficult, due, in part, to the greater complexity of this system in German compared to English (Jackson, 2007; Ritterbusch, LaFond, & Agustin, 2006). Difficulties in acquiring this system might also be exacerbated by the fact that certain case markings are ambiguous as a result of neutralization or inflectional syncretism (Kempe & MacWinney, 1998).…”

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Proficiency Level and the Interaction of Lexical and Morphosyntactic Information During L2 Sentence Processing

Jackson

2008

Language Learning

107

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Using a self-paced reading task, the present study explores how second language (L2) German speakers at different proficiency levels use case-marking information when processing subject-object ambiguities in German. Results indicate that advanced L2 German speakers rapidly integrated case-marking information during online processing, exhibiting a subject preference similar to German native speakers. However, there was evidence that the relative processing difficulty of object-first sentences was influenced by early access to the thematic verb. In contrast, intermediate L2 speakers were not immediately sensitive to case-marking information regardless of thematic verb placement. These findings are discussed in light of current models of L2 sentence processing and research concerning L2 speakers' ability to process L2 morphosyntactic information.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Proficiency Level and the Interaction of Lexical and Morphosyntactic Information During L2 Sentence Processing

Jackson

2008

Language Learning

107

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“…There are not many studies that look at the acquisition of L2 German case marking in a classroom setting using an approach based in cognitive linguistics. In fact, as Arnett and Jernigan (2014: 69) note, "To our knowledge, there are five studies that are specific to the acquisition of German case (Ritterbusch et al 2006;Tracy 1986;Jordens, 1992)." Of these studies, only the one by Ritterbusch et al (2006) is conducted in a classroom setting.…”

Section: Empirical Classroom-based Studies Of L2 German Case Markingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Ritterbusch et al (2006) study, the authors investigated the relationship between learner's proficiency with German case marking and four other factors: understanding of English grammatical metalanguage, their goals regarding accuracy, their reported strategies for determining case, and task type/difficulty. Their results indicated that for the first three factors, each had a positive correlation with case marking proficiency.…”

Section: Empirical Classroom-based Studies Of L2 German Case Markingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross-theoretical and cross-linguistic perspective on the L2 acquisition of case systems / L'acquisition de systèmes casuels en L2 : des études à travers plusieurs théories et langues

Baten¹,

Verbeke²

2020

LIA

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Flanders (FWO) 2 Hopp's results are in line with computation difficulty approaches, like MSIH. Several other studies on case morphology in different language have provided similar findings. For example, Haznedar (2006) and Papadopoulou et al. (2011) on L2 Turkish, but also Satorno (2007, 2011) on clitic case morphology in L2 Italian and L2 Spanish and Grüter (2006) on L2 French object clitics, show that case morphology and clitics are fully acquirable, despite its absence in L1 grammar. The problems with inflectional morphology do not reflect a syntactic deficit, instead the learners in these studies faced difficulties only with the surface realization of Case. and setting up distinct specific research questions concerning different L2s, all articles share the common aim to unravel how learners assign meaning to the seemingly superfluous and cumbersome case markers in the L2. The articles in this special issue stem from a workshop on the L2 acquisition of case and agreement in typologically diverse languages; the workshop was organized at Ghent University and co-funded by a EuroSLA Workshop Grant in 2015. Perspective 1: form-meaning mappings Research within the perspective of form-function mappings investigates the ability of learners to link certain forms with certain functions. From a functionalist point of view, general cognitive principles (such as generalization and analogy) and input characteristics (such as frequency and transparency), instead of innate constraints, guide this linking process. It is assumed that case contrasts in the input provide sufficient information for the learner to infer the case system of the target language. An influential model in this research paradigm is the so-called Competition Model (Bates & MacWhinney, 1987). This model posits that linguistic means such as case, word order, animacy, and pronominality compete for cue reliability (i.e., what is the most reliable cue for determining the subject and direct object in a sentence?), and it examines whether or not learners are able to switch from their L1 cues to L2 cues or whether they simply transfer their L1 cues. Studies on case marking within the Competition Model have dealt with a number of L2s, such as Japanese, German and Russian. For example, Mitsugi and MacWhinney (2010) examined whether L1 English speakers can switch from a reliance on word order cues to a reliance on case marking cues in processing L2 Japanese sentences with different non-canonical word order structures (i.e., noncanonical variants of canonical sentences such as John gaNOM Mary niDAT hon oACC ageta, 'John gave Mary a book'). The findings of the self-paced reading experiment showed that there was no additional processing cost associated with non-canonicity. In other words, L2 learners are able to acquire native-like processing strategies. However, the self-paced reading experiment did not seem sensitive enough to capture the effect of non-canonicity, as Shigenaga (2012), in a study using a correctness decision task, did find longer reaction times and hig...

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“…Ritterbusch, LaFond and Agustin (2006) looks at students' ability to identify the correct gender of the noun and connect it with appropriate articles and adjective endings in the correct case. They attempt to determine what part of producing a correct phrase in the dative or accusative case is the most difficult.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

8. A cognitive linguistic approach to two-way prepositions in L2 German

Arnett¹,

Deifel²

2015

Cognitive Linguistics and Sociocultural Theory

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Traditional ways of teaching German two-way prepositions to L2 learners have focused on one major distinction, using accusative (ACC) for destination and dative (DAT) for location (cf., Drosdowski 1984). However, this explanation does not always help learners decide which case to use accurately in the spatial realm because the standard rule applies to only a limited number of uses of two-way prepositions. In contrast, a Cognitive Grammar (CG) approach (Langacker 1987(Langacker , 1991Smith 1987Smith , 1993 gives clear, helpful and meaningful answers to this problem. In this study, we investigate how Smith's notion, change vs. no change, is an improvement on the conventional rule "destination" vs. "location". In the present study, two-way prepositions were introduced to a treatment group of second-year college German as a Foreign Language (GFL) students at an American university. The participants were taught using a CG explanation of two-way prepositions accompanied by written, oral, inductive and deductive activities as reinforcement. The control group received the textbook's explanation only. Afterwards, students completed a fill-in-the-blank test, in which they provided the correct article following a two-way preposition. They also described pictures using two-way prepositions with both the accusative and dative. Results show that the CG approach is more effective than the traditional one.

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Learner Difficulties with German Case: Implications from an Action Research Study

Cited by 13 publications

References 24 publications

Proficiency Level and the Interaction of Lexical and Morphosyntactic Information During L2 Sentence Processing

Proficiency Level and the Interaction of Lexical and Morphosyntactic Information During L2 Sentence Processing

A cross-theoretical and cross-linguistic perspective on the L2 acquisition of case systems / L'acquisition de systèmes casuels en L2 : des études à travers plusieurs théories et langues

8. A cognitive linguistic approach to two-way prepositions in L2 German

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