A Study On Chinese EFL Learners' English Middle Construction Acquisition From The Perspective Of Syntax-semantics Interface

As one of research hotspots in second language acquisition(SLA),English middle construction(Abbreviated as EMC)which is passive semantically but active syntactically has successfully attracted a number of researchers both abroad and at home.Different from previous studies which are mostly implemented with the following research orientations: studies on conditions on EMC formation,studies on similarities and differences between CMC and EMC and studies on EMC acquisition,a brand-new perspective,i.e.syntax-semantics interface,has provided EMC acquisition research with a novel channel.Furthermore,few researches have been conducted to investigate how EMC is represented in the interlanguage(IL)of Chinese learners taking English as a foreign language(EFL).Taking all these into account,the present study is undertaken to explore second language(L2)learners' knowledge of EMC in their IL by investigating their sensitivity to different kinds of EMC,to check into the developmental pattern of this knowledge.The present study enrolls three groups of L2 learners at different English proficiency levels and the total number is 120.Before taking part in the questionnaire officially,all the subjects selected are required to participate in Oxford Quick Placement Test in order to ensure the reasonability of the grouping.Finally,all the subject's questionnaires are valid and come into data analysis.The present study adopts two instruments: Grammatical Judgement Task and Sentence Formation Task.The present study primarily answers the following four questions:(1)Do Chinese L2 learners have difficulty in acquiring EMC?(2)What are the Chinese L2 learners' knowledge representations of different types of EMC?(3)How does Chinese L2 learners' EMC knowledge develop over time?(4)Can Chinese L2 learners' difficulty in acquiring EMC be accounted for by semantic constraints? The collected data is analyzed by SPSS and discussed in line with syntax-semantics interface theories.Results obtained from the present study demonstrate that:(1)L2 learners encounter difficulty upon acquiring EMC to some degree.More specifically,compared with subject acquisition,learners are more sensitive to middle verb and adjunct acquisition.This can be accounted for by their deficient knowledge of the mapping rules between syntax and semantics and semantic constraints on EMC.(2)L2 learners perform equally well on typical EMC and untypical EMC.(3)With the development of L2 learners' English proficiency,their EMC acquisition improves accordingly.(4)Chinese L2 learners' difficulty in acquiring EMC can be well accounted for by semantic constraints.The results of the present study have confirmed the importance of interface theory in the field of SLA.L2 learners' difficulty in EMC acquisition is well accounted for by their insufficient knowledge of semantic constraints on EMC.In addition,the present study can also provide reference for EMC teaching as a foreign language.