| The present study investigates, within the framework of semantics and syntax correspondence, the L2 acquisition of Chinese unaccusative verbs by adult English-speaking learners, which pose a linking problem for theoretical linguists and a learnability problem for L2 learners. The Unaccusative Hypothesis (UH) divides traditional intransitive verbs into two classes: unaccusatives and unergatives. The former takes a D-structure object and no subject, whereas the latter takes a D-structure subject and no object. The distinction between these two classes is a universal phenomenon existing across languages, despite the fact that unaccusativity in different languages may be realized in different ways. A preliminary reading of the relevant literature reveals that unaccusative verbs have been a source of learning problems for L2 learners from various L1 backgrounds. But the L2 that has been mostly investigated is English and the research designs of most studies are not experimental in nature. As a result, researchers can only base their interpretations for the observed learning outcomes on widely different clues in their particular studies. Oshita (2001) attempted at rectifying the current situation by proposing Unaccusative Trap Hypothesis (UTH), which tries to account for a variety of nontarget phenomena observed with L2 acquisition of unaccusatives in a number of different languages. However, UTH is not without problems,especially with respect of the validity of the linguistic evidence from Chinese unaccusatives that has been used to support the claims about the route of development.To overcome the weaknesses of UTH, a more fine-grained cross-linguistic analysis of unaccusativity was first made, with an emphasis on the similarities and differences of unaccusativity in English and Chinese. In the analysis,"surface"unaccusativity of Chinese was discussed and the diagnostics accepted as reliable ones for Chinese unaccusativity were explored. More importantly, Chinese...
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