Study On L2Acquisition Of English Resultative Construction By Chinese EFL Learners In The Chinese Classroom Setting

The present study investigates L2acquisition of English Resultative Construction(hereinafter “RC”) by Chinese EFL learners in the Chinese classroom setting within thetheoretical framework of both the Prototype-Construction Approach and L1Transfer Theory.To start with, RC is defined as an action-result relationship in which an object-positioned entity undergoes a change of state as a result of the action denoted by the verb. Infact, RCs are pervasive in both Chinese and English. In the two languages, they are seeminglysimilar in syntactic structures, yet they differentiate semantically to some extent. As for theresultative in RC, it refers to either the agent, or the patient, or even the action itself. Besides,the relation intensity between the action and the resultative in Chinese and English RCs alsodiffer from each other. Therefore, all the similarities and the differences with RCs both inChinese and English as well as L1transfer were taken as variables to account for L2acquisition of English RC by Chinese EFL learners.The empirical study incorporating an integrated English test with individual interviews,is carried out within the framework of the Prototype-Construction Approach and L1TransferTheory.90participants at the three different English proficiency levels (i.e. pre-intermediate,intermediate and advanced) participated in the empirical project. The current study mainlyexamines L2acquisition of English RC by Chinese EFL learners. The investigation isintended to clarify the cause-effect relationship between the English language proficiency andL2acquisition of English RC. Furthermore, the study is also used to explore the acquisitionorder of English RC by Chinese EFL learners as well as the role of L1transfer in theacquisition process.The data gained from the experiment are analyzed by ANOVA and T-tests. The testingresults partially confirmed some research hypotheses and partially negated some researchhypotheses.The major findings of the study are as follows:First, there is a strong cause-effect relationship between the English language proficiencyand L2acquisition of English RC. The higher the English proficiency, the better Chinese EFLlearners were able to acquire English RC. What is more, the participants performed better intheir understanding of English RC than their production (i.e., writing, speaking and writing)of English RC.Second, participants at all proficiency levels seem to follow the acquisition order, namely PC> PP> FO> SO (“>” means “easier”). It can be claimed that prototypicalityinherent in RC constitutes a crucial factor influencing L2acquisition of English RC.Third, both positive transfer and negative transfer play an important part in L2acquisition of English RC by Chinese EFL learners.RC is a paring of form and meaning, which is embodied as a gestalt characterized bypragmatic meaning. Besides, multiple subtypes of RC ranging from the prototype to nonprototypes differentiate both syntactically and semantically. Thus, it is strongly suggested thatRC should be taught and learned as a gestalt in the global perspective of ConstructionGrammar. What is more, Chinese EFL learners should start with the prototypical English RCand then move on to acquire the other non-prototypical ones step by step.