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Second Language Acquisition Of English Articles: An Interaction Account

Posted on:2010-03-10Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:M YangFull Text:PDF
GTID:1115360275487210Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Substitution errors of L2-English articles, by which is meant that L2 learnerssubstitute the for a(n) in indefinite NP contexts or substitute a(n) for the in definiteNP contexts, have been found frequent in L2 article uses. Over the past three decadesor so, a multitude of studies has been conducted to reveal reasons underlying sucherrors, focusing on either semantic features of English articles or contextual factorsrelated to English article uses. However, a close examination of the semantic andpragmatic analyses of English articles shows that there is actually a complexinteractional relationship between semantic features of English articles and relevantcontextual factors in determining the selection between the and a(n). In order to havea good understanding and explanation of substitution errors of L2-English articles, itis necessary to explore L2 article choices and acquisition in light of such relationship.The present study is therefore aimed at investigating whether and howinteractions of semantic features of English articles and relevant contextual factorsinfluence L2-English article choices and acquisition. The emergentist view oninteraction is introduced as the theoretical framework for analysis. Under thisframework, it is proposed that the process of L2-English article acquisition is acomplex system, in which there are different subsystems composing of various agentsand elements. It is the interaction of agents and elements in different subsystems, aswell as the interaction of these subsystems with each other, that lead to the emergenceof L2 article choices and acquisition. Given that it is impossible to exhaustinteractions of all agents and elements in a single study like the present one, the mainfocus is on examining interactions involved in the subsystem of semantic features andof contextual factors.Tasks collecting both production and comprehension data are utilized to seek foranswers to the following key research questions: (1) what is Chinese-speakingL2-English learners' knowledge of semantic features related to English articles? Howis such knowledge influenced by interaction of different semantic features? (2) AreChinese-speaking L2-English learners sensitive to the effects of different contextualfactors on the computation of semantic features of English articles? How doesinteraction of different contextual factors influence L2 learners' sensitivity to suchcontextual effects? (3) How does interaction of semantic features of English articleswith relevant contextual factors influence Chinese-speaking L2-English learners' article choices?Study 1 employed a forced elicitation task and a written interview task toinvestigate the influence of interactions of semantic features and contextual factors onL2-English article production in a sample of 55 Chinese-speaking L2-English learnersand 14 native speakers. Results of Study 1 show that (1) the combination ofspecificity (one of the semantic features related to English articles) and ESK (one ofthe contextual factors) significantly influenced L2 article choices; (2) the L2 learnersover-depended on specificity to determine article choices; (3) the influence ofbackground knowledge (another contextual factor) was greater than that of ESK indetermining L2 article choices. Study 2 adopted an Acceptability Judgment Task toexamine the influence of interactions of semantic features and contextual factors onL2-English article interpretation in a sample of 65 L2-English learners and 27 nativespeakers. Results of Study 2 show that (1) the L2 learners' computation of theuniqueness of referents differed with contexts; (2) the semantic feature of partitivityinfluenced the L2 learners' sensitivity to definiteness; (3) the L2 learners were moresensitive to the importance of definiteness in distinguishing the and a(n) and lessinfluenced by specificity in English article comprehension than in production.Major findings of the present study are summarized as the Interaction Account ofL2 article choices and acquisition, which states: (1) the interaction of semanticfeatures of English articles influences L2 learners' semantic knowledge of Englisharticles; (2) the interaction of different contextual factors influences L2 learners'context-sensitivity in their computation of semantic features of English articles; (3)the interaction of semantic features of English articles with relevant contextual factorsinfluences L2 article choices and acquisition. These findings demonstrate howL2-English article choices and acquisition as one of the linguistic phenomena can bestbe explained with reference to the interaction of both agents and elements, providingempirical evidence for the emergentist approach to language acquisition.Pedagogically, the findings identify the interaction of different non-grammaticalfactors as one of the major causes of substitution errors of L2-English article choices,accentuating interaction in L2-English article instruction and learning.
Keywords/Search Tags:SLA of English articles, interaction, semantic features, contextual factors, emergentism
PDF Full Text Request
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