Lexical and discourse factors in the second language acquisition of Spanish word order

Abstract

This study investigates the acquisition of Spanish word order by native speakers of English. Specifically, it considers the development of sensitivity to the distinct interpretations of subject-verb (SV) vs. verb-subject (VS) order, as determined by lexical verb class (unaccusative and unergative verbs) and discourse structure. Participants included a native speaker control group and learners at four proficiency levels. Results from a contextualized production task indicate that beginning learners transferred the SV order of English for all structures. Intermediate learners showed a gradual increase in the production of lexically and discourse-determined inversion, although their data was also characterized by indeterminacy and variability. The advanced learners demonstrated a sensitivity to the word order effects of unaccusativity and discourse factors, but also tended to overgeneralize inversion to unergative verbs in a neutral discourse context. I IntroductionThe purpose of this study is to examine the acquisition of Spanish word order by native English speakers. In Spanish the word order of intransitive sentences, specifically subject-verb (SV) vs. verb-subject (VS) order, is determined by two factors: lexical verb class and information structure. The interaction of these factors is subtle, and inappropriate word order does not lead to ungrammaticality, but to pragmatic anomaly. In addition, these aspects of Spanish word order are rarely, if ever, addressed in the second language (L2) classroom. This study aimed to better understand the acquisition of lexically and discourse-determined Spanish word order. My goal was to ascertain what learners know and what they need to learn about the different interpretations of SV and VS order in Spanish.One factor influencing Spanish word order is verb class. It has been proposed that there are two classes of intransitive verbs,

Postverbal subjects at the interfaces in Spanish and Italian learners of L2 English: a corpus analysis

“…It has been argued recently that information structure notions, such as topic and focus, appear to play a crucial role in the position of S in free-order languages, with preverbal Ss usually analysed as topics or given information, and postverbal Ss as (presentational/informational) focus or new information (see, among others, Vallduví 1990, Fernández-Soriano 1993, Liceras et al 1994, Picallo 1998, Zubizarreta 1998, Belletti 2001, 2004b, Domínguez 2004, Lozano 2006 Empirical studies on Spanish native speakers' acceptability preferences show, however, that verb choice may determine whether the answer to questions like (19) may contain either a preverbal or a postverbal S. In particular, preverbal Ss are favoured for unergative Vs and postverbal Ss in unaccusative contexts (Hertel 2003, Lozano 2003, 2006) (see also Pinto 1997 for similar observations for Italian), as in (20). (20) a. i. Juan ha hablado.…”

Selectivity in L1 Attrition: Differential Object Marking in Spanish Near-Native Speakers of English

“…Much previous research on second language (L2) acquisition has focused on the influence of the L1 on the L2 (Argyri & Sorace 2007;Belletti et al 2007;Hertel 2003;Hopp 2009;Lozano 2006Lozano , 2009Montrul 2004a;Paradis & Navarro 2003;Rothman 2009;Serratrice et al 2011;Serratrice et al 2004;), but to a much lesser extent on the influence that the L2 might have in the native language (L1) of nonnative speakers. This phenomenon is known as 'L1 attrition', and it refers to the changes in a speaker's L1 as the result of the acquisition of an L2.…”

“…bilingual children, near-native speakers and L1 attriters). Previous research addressed aspects such as the effects of The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10936-015-9372-4 4 semantic or discourse factors in the acquisition of word order (Belletti et al 2007;Hertel 2003;Hopp 2009;Lozano 2006;Montrul 2004a;Wilson 2009), or the influence of pragmatics in the acquisition of null versus overt pronominal subjects and objects (Argyri and Sorace 2007;Belletti et al 2007;Lozano 2009;Montrul 2004b;Paradis and Navarro 2003;Rothman 2009;Serratrice et al 2011;Serratrice et al 2004;Tsimpli et al 2004). Structures that are sensitive to pragmatic or contextual conditions have been an especially privileged ground for research.…”

The clause-initial position in L2 Swedish declaratives: Word order variation and discourse pragmatics

“…Hertel 2003;Lozano 2006;Tsimpli & Sorace 2006;Belletti et al 2007;Rothman 2009). In the past, generative linguists have often relegated these problems to domains outside the grammar proper, e.g.…”

“…Common to them all is that learners at high proficiency levels continue to grapple with the pragmatically appropriate distributional pattern (e.g. Carroll & Lambert 2003;Carroll & von Stutterheim 2003;Hertel 2003;Lozano 2006;Sorace & Filiaci 2006;Belletti et al 2007;Rothman 2009). Since in many of these studies the highest-proficiency group diverges from the native controls, some researchers have drawn the conclusion that information structuring in L2 acquisition never becomes fully native-like (e.g.…”