| This is a study into the acquisition of English relative clauses (RCs) by 4 Spanish (head-initial RCs), 4 Japanese (head-final RCs), and 2 Mandarin (head-final RCs) speakers. RCs were investigated using the typological analysis of Joseph Greenberg, Bruce Downing, Edward Keenan and Bernard Comrie; and the syntactic theories of Noam Chomsky's generative grammar, Simon Dik's functional grammar, and Michael Halliday's systemic functional grammar. The structures of RCs in Mandarin, Japanese, and Spanish are described. The extensive literature review of RC acquisition includes research into the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis through error analysis and avoidance theory, the evidence for Universal Grammar, the influence of the Accessibility Hierarchy (AH), and the effect of instruction on acquisition. Writing samples were collected over an eight month period of participation in full-time English studies. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the type and number of RCs correctly and incorrectly formed by each participant and the number of RC instructional hours by instructors for each participant were tabulated. Students were interviewed at the end of the study to inform them of their progress in RC acquisition, to investigate their ability to correct past RC errors, and to learn from their perceptions of RC acquisition. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
