L2acquisition Of English Middle Construction By Chinese Learners:a Semantics-syntax Interface Perspective

Due to its unique syntactic and semantic features, English middle constructionbrings second language learners with difficulty in acquisition, which arouses attentionfrom linguistic researchers. In terms of theoretical studies, researchers have devotedthemselves into the study of generative mechanism of EMC with the followingresearch orientations of generative grammar approach, cognitive linguistic approachand conceptual semantics approach, etc. In terms of empirical studies, there have beensome investigations on the acquisition of EMC, but without clearly showing thedifficulty in the acquisition of it. Fortunately, the theory of Interface Hypothesismakes the study on the acquisition of EMC feasible. IH proposes that “narrowsyntactic properties are completely acquirable in a second language, even though theymay exhibit significant developmental delays, whereas interface properties involvingsyntax and another cognitive domain may not be fully acquirable”(Sorace&Filiaci,2006). The thesis tries to have an analysis on EMC within the theoretical frameworkof IH and to explore semantic restrictions on EMC from the interface perspective ofsyntax and semantics in order to reveal difficulties in acquiring EMC and provide L2learners and teachers with implications on the acquisition of it.According to research purposes, we have raised two main research questions:(1)Does the difficulty in the acquisition of EMC for Chinese L2learners rest in theacquisition of syntactic properties of EMC or semantic constraints on EMC formation,phenomena at the interface of semantics and syntax? Can semantic constraints onEMC formation be fully acquired by Chinese L2learners?(2) Does Englishproficiency affect Chinese L2learners’ performance in the acquisition of EMC? Inorder to answer the above questions, an empirical study was carried out.70subjectswere initially selected from both undergraduate students and postgraduate students ofdifferent majors in Ocean University of China, but test results of68subjects werefinally proved to be valid. Research instruments in the study were tasks of Oxford Quick Placement Test and Acceptability Judgment that were completed by all thesubjects. The first task divided participants into three groups of the advanced, theintermediate and the elementary. Then an investigation was conducted on theacquisition of EMC by Chinese L2learners by means of the second task from theperspective of semantics-syntax interface. The collected data was analyzed by SPSS.16.0in the end.The empirical results show that:(1) the key in the acquisition of EMC forChinese L2learners rests in the acquisition of semantic constraints on EMC formation,phenomena at the interface of semantics and syntax rather than the simple acquisitionof syntactic structure, which verifies the theory of IH. And semantic constraints onEMC formation can be partially acquired by Chinese L2learners.(2) Chinese L2learners’ performance in the acquisition of EMC is positively correlated with their L2proficiency. That is to say, the higher one’s proficiency is, the better one will do in theacquisition of EMC.The above findings offer pedagogical implications that second language teachingshould start from the semantics-syntax interface perspective, specificallystrengthening the instruction of semantic constraints on EMC in order to acquaint L2learners with them. Besides, comprehensible input of EMC should be added and L2learners could be provided with more contexts and opportunities to utilize EMC sothat it could be effectively acquired.