On The Acquisition Of Elliptical Constructions By L2 Learners: Within The Framework Of Universal Grammar

Language learners'interpretation of pronouns in elliptical constructions is not arbitrary, but restricted by some constraints. This thesis is intended to explore the accessibility of Universal Grammar (UG) in second language acquisition (SLA) from the perspective of Chinese-speaking English learners'interpretation of pronouns in English elliptical constructions.In terms of the role of UG in second language acquisition, this thesis stands for the hypothesis that UG remains functioning in SLA, but partially.Based on the analysis of syntactic and semantic properties of both Chinese and English elliptical constructions, this study probes an investigation into Chinese-speaking English learners'interpretation of pronouns in English elliptical constructions from four respects: L2 learners'knowledge of the parallelism constraint; L2 learners'sensitivities to H~ elliptical constructions; L2 learners'sensitivities to H~ elliptical constructions with C-command constraint; and the influence of L1 knowledge of Overt Pronoun Constraint (OPC) on L2 acquisition. The test was conducted in two groups: the beginners'group and the low-intermediate group and with the method of truth value judgment task.The test results show that L1 transfer exerted less influence on L2 learners'acquisition of the parallelism constraint, that L2 learners (at least the beginners) were sensitive to English H~ elliptical constructions despite the lack of these constructions in their native language, that the beginners were still sensitive to the H~ elliptical constructions when C-command constraint was satisfied, and that the L1 knowledge of OPC did affect L2 learners'interpretation of English overt pronouns. And all these data suggest that UG remains functioning in SLA, but not the only working factor. L1 transfer, knowledge of pragmatics and the development errors or acquisition regression working together in SLA.