A Study Of The Effect Of L2 Proficiency And L1 Background On The Acquisition Of Chinese Classifiers By CSL Learners

Chinese as a Second Language(CSL)is currently receiving an increasing attention among researchers in the area of second language acquisition.Although abundant attention has been paid to the properties of Chinese classifiers,the acquisition of Chinese classifiers both as L1 and L2,there is a paucity of previous studies in considering the role of proficiency level and L1 background in the acquisition of Chinese classifiers.Given this,the present study aims at investigating the effect of Chinese proficiency and L1 background on the acquisition of Chinese classifiers.More specifically,the focus is on the acquisition of classifier construction,the acquisition of semantic constraints,and learners' integrative use of Chinese classifiers.The participants of the study were 120 CSL learners including sixty native speakers of English and sixty native speakers of Lao.By proficiency,they were divided into three proficiency levels of Chinese,namely low-level,intermediate-level and high-level.Forty native speakers of Chinese also participated in the study.Three instruments including the Judgment Task,the Description Task,and the Writing Task were adopted to collect data on learners' grammaticality judgment of classifier constructions,the acquisition of semantic constraints,and their integrative use of Chinese classifiers.With regard to the acquisition of classifier constructions,the results of the study revealed a close relation between CSL learners' acquisition of classifier constructions and their Chinese proficiency level.Their performance in judging the grammaticality of the constructions Dem + CL + N and Inde + CL + N improved as they became more proficient in Chinese.The construction Num + CL + N was earlier acquired than other constructions,but CSL learners failed to acquire the construction Num + Adj +CL+ N.Besides,it was found that Lao-speaking CSL learners were not different from English-speaking learners in judging the grammaticality of classifier constructions,indicating that L1 background did not affect the acquisition of classifier constructions.In respect of the acquisition of semantic constraints,Chinese proficiency also exerted significant effects on CSL learners' performance.Early acquisition of classifiers was found in all three semantic categories:animacy,shape,and function.Zhi,zhang,and liang were acquired earlier than other classifiers belonging to the same category.Some classifiers like ba were difficult for CSL learners.The study also found that Lao-speaking CSL learners outperformed English-speaking CSL learners in acquiring the semantic constraint on classifier-noun pairing.They were more audacious in establishing the classifier-noun pairing.As to learners' overall performance in using Chinese classifiers,it was found that Chinese proficiency level was correlated to the number of classifier token,classifier type,and type-token ratio in the Writing Task.These CSL learners used smaller range of classifiers and frequently used the general classifier ge.They made various mistakes in using classifiers.The difference between the Lao group and English group was not identified at the low level of Chinese proficiency.Native speakers of Lao at the intermediate and high levels performed better in using Chinese classifiers than their English counterpart.On the basis of the findings,the study discussed features of L2 acquisition of Chinese classifiers with reference to the relevant theories and the previous studies.The discussion revealed that the acquisition of Chinese classifiers was characterized with the earlier acquisition of the numeral construction,the failed acquisition of the adjective insertion construction,the better performance of native speakers of Lao,and the earlier acquisition of zhi,zhang,and liang.Asymmetry was the typical feature of the acquisition of Chinese classifiers.This study concluded that proficiency level and L1 background had different impact on the acquisition of Chinese classifiers.It is hoped that this study can contribute to a better understanding of L2 acquisition of Chinese classifiers.Pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research were finally provided.