1887
Volume 4, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2215-1478
  • E-ISSN: 2215-1486
GBP
Buy:£15.00 + Taxes

Abstract

The current study investigates the roles of lexical aspect and phonological saliency in second language acquisition of English past tense morphology. It also explores whether the effects of these factors are affected by data elicitation tasks and learners’ L2 proficiency. We created a learner corpus consisting of data from oral personal narratives from twenty Arabic EFL learners from two proficiency groups (low vs. intermediate/advanced), which were transcribed in CHAT format, tagged, and included in the corpora. We also administered a written cloze task. Despite task variations, we find strong evidence that supported the influence of lexical semantics in Arabic learners’ acquisition of past tense marking, confirming the predictions of the Aspect Hypothesis.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/ijlcr.17006.zha
2018-08-27
2024-04-19
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. AbuRiyah, A. A. R.
    (2011) The acquisition of aspect in L2 English by adult native speakers of Arabic: L1 transfer investigation. MA thesis. Mecca: Umm Al-Qura University.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Alruwaili, R.
    (2014) Second language acquisition of aspect and tense by Saudi-Arabic learners of English. PhD thesis. York: University of York.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Andersen, R. W.
    (1989) The theoretical status of variation in interlanguage development. In S. Gass & C. Madden (Eds.), Variation in second language acquisition: Vol. II. Psycholinguistic issues (pp.46–64). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. (1991) Developmental sequences: The emergence of aspect marking in second language acquisition. In T. Huebner & C. A. Ferguson (Eds.), Crosscurrents in second language acquisition and linguistic theories (pp.305–324). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/lald.2.17and
    https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.2.17and [Google Scholar]
  5. Andersen, R. & Shirai, Y.
    (1994) Discourse motivations for some cognitive acquisition principles. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 16, 133–156.10.1017/S0272263100012845
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100012845 [Google Scholar]
  6. Andersen, R. W. & Shirai, Y.
    (1996) Primacy of aspect in first and second language acquisition: The pidgin/creole connection. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp.527–570). San Diego: Academic Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Ayoun, D. & Salaberry, M. R.
    (2008) Acquisition of English tense-aspect morphology by advanced French instructed learners. Language Learning, 58, 555–595.10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2008.00450.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2008.00450.x [Google Scholar]
  8. Bardovi-Harlig, K.
    (1998) Narrative structure and lexical aspect: Conspiring factors in second language acquisition of tense-aspect morphology. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 20, 471–508.10.1017/S0272263198004021
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263198004021 [Google Scholar]
  9. (2000) Tense and aspect in second language acquisition. Form, meaning, and use. Oxford: Blackwell.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. (2013) Research design: From text to task. In M. R. Salaberry & L. Comajoan (Eds.), Research design and methodology in studies on L2 tense and aspect (pp.219–270). Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter.10.1515/9781934078167.219
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9781934078167.219 [Google Scholar]
  11. Bardovi-Harlig, K. & Bergström, A.
    (1996) Acquisition of tense and aspect in second language and foreign language learning: Learner narratives in ESL and FFL. Canadian Modern Language Review, 52, 308–330.10.3138/cmlr.52.2.308
    https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.52.2.308 [Google Scholar]
  12. Bardovi-Harlig, K. & Reynolds, D. W.
    (1995) The role of lexical aspect in the acquisition of tense and aspect. TESOL Quarterly, 29(1), 107–131.10.2307/3587807
    https://doi.org/10.2307/3587807 [Google Scholar]
  13. Bayley, R.
    (1994) Interlanguage variation and the quantitative paradigm: Past tense marking in Chinese English. In S. Gass , E. Cohen , & E. Tarone (Eds.), Research methodology in second language acquisition (pp.157–181). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Bonilla, C. L.
    (2013) Tense or aspect? A review of initial past tense marking and task conditions for beginning classroom learners of Spanish. Hispania, 96, 624–639.10.1353/hpn.2013.0116
    https://doi.org/10.1353/hpn.2013.0116 [Google Scholar]
  15. Brown, R.
    (1973) A first language. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.10.4159/harvard.9780674732469
    https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674732469 [Google Scholar]
  16. Brustad, K.
    (2000) The syntax of spoken Arabic: A comparative study of Moroccan, Egyptian, Syrian, and Kuwaiti dialects. Washington: Georgetown University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Bybee, J.
    (2008) Usage-based grammar and second language acquisition. In P. Robinson & N. C. Ellis (Eds.), Handbook of cognitive linguistics and second language acquisition (pp.216–236). London: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Cohen, J.
    (1988) Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. College Board
    College Board (2016) ACCUPLACER: Program manual. New York: The College Board. Retrieved fromhttps://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/​accuplacer/accuplacer-program-manual.pdf
  20. Comajoan, L.
    (2006) The Aspect Hypothesis: Development of morphology and appropriateness of use. Language Learning, 56, 201–268.10.1111/j.0023‑8333.2006.00347.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0023-8333.2006.00347.x [Google Scholar]
  21. Dulay, H. C. & Burt, M. K.
    (1978) Some remarks on creativity in language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie (Ed.), Second language acquisition research. Issues and implications (pp.65–89). New York: Academic Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Ellis, N.
    (2006) Language acquisition as rational contingency learning. Applied Linguistics, 27, 1–24.10.1093/applin/ami038
    https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ami038 [Google Scholar]
  23. Ellis, N. , Römer, U. , & O’Donnell, M. B.
    (2016) Determinants of construction learning. Language Learning, 66, 45–68.10.1111/lang.2_12177
    https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.2_12177 [Google Scholar]
  24. Eskildsen, S. W.
    (2012) L2 negation constructions at work. Language Learning, 62(2), 335–372.10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2012.00698.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2012.00698.x [Google Scholar]
  25. Five Graces Group
    Five Graces Group (2009) Language is a complex adaptive system: Position paper. Language Learning, 59(S1), 1–26.10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2009.00533.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00533.x [Google Scholar]
  26. Geyer, N.
    (2007) Self-qualification in L2 Japanese: An interface of pragmatic, grammatical, and discourse competences. Language Learning, 57(3), 337–367.10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2007.00419.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2007.00419.x [Google Scholar]
  27. Gilquin, G.
    (2015) From design to collection of learner corpora. In. S. Granger , G. Gilquin , & F. Meunier (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of learner corpus research (pp.9–34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9781139649414.002
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139649414.002 [Google Scholar]
  28. Goldschneider, J. M. & DeKeyser, R. M.
    (2001) Explaining the “natural order of L2 morpheme acquisition” in English: A meta-analysis of multiple determinants. Language Learning, 51, 1–50.10.1111/1467‑9922.00147
    https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9922.00147 [Google Scholar]
  29. Granger, S. , Dagneaux, E. , Meunier, F. , & Paquot, M.
    (Eds.) (2009) International Corpus of Learner English (Version 2) [Handbook + CD-ROM]. Louvain-la-Neuve: Presses Universitaires de Louvain.
  30. Hawkins, R. & Liszka, S.
    (2003) Locating the source of defective past tense marking in advanced L2 English speakers. In R. van Hout , A. Hulk , F. Kuiken , & R. Towell (Eds.), The lexicon-syntax interface in second language acquisition (pp.21–44). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/lald.30.03haw
    https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.30.03haw [Google Scholar]
  31. Housen, A.
    (2002) The development of tense-aspect in English as a second language and the variable influence of inherent aspect. In R. Salaberry & Y. Shirai (Eds.), The L2 acquisition of tense-aspect morphology (pp.155–197). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/lald.27.09hou
    https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.27.09hou [Google Scholar]
  32. Kamada, O.
    (2006) KY-koopasu to nihongo kyooiku kenkyuu [KY corpus and Japanese language education Research]. Nihongo Kyoiku [Journal of Japanese Language Teaching], 130, 42–51.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Klein, E. , Iglika, S. , Kent, A. , Tamara, R. , Yana, P. , & Stephanie, S.
    (2004, November) Past tense affixation in L2 English: The effects of lexical aspect and perceptual salience. Poster presented atthe 28th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston University, USA.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Labov, W.
    (1973) The boundaries of words and their meanings. In C. J. N. Bailey & R. W. Shuy (Eds.), New ways of analyzing variation in English (pp.340–373). Washington: Georgetown University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Lee, J. -H. & Nakagawa, N.
    (2016) KY Corpus. In M. Minami (Ed.), Handbook of Japanese applied linguistics (pp.283–312). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.10.1515/9781614511830‑015
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9781614511830-015 [Google Scholar]
  36. Li, P. & Shirai, Y.
    (2000) The acquisition of lexical and grammatical aspect. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.10.1515/9783110800715
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110800715 [Google Scholar]
  37. Mackey, A. & Gass, S.
    (2016) Second language research Methodology and design. London: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. MacWhinney, B.
    (2007) The TalkBank project. In J. Beal , K. Corrigan , & L. Moisl (Eds.), Creating and digitizing language corpora Synchronic databases (pp.163–180). Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.10.1057/9780230223936_7
    https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230223936_7 [Google Scholar]
  39. MacWhinney, B. , & Wagner, J.
    (2010) Transcribing, searching and data sharing: The CLAN software and the TalkBank data repository. Gesprächsforschung, 11, 154–173.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Marsden, E. , Mackey, A. , & Plonsky, L.
    (2016) The IRIS repository: Advancing research practice and methodology. In A. Mackey & E. Marsden (Eds.), Advancing methodology and practice. The IRIS repository of instruments for research into second languages (pp.1–21). New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Murakami, A. & Alexopoulou, T.
    (2016) L1 influence on the acquisition order of English grammatical morphemes. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(3), 365–401.10.1017/S0272263115000352
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263115000352 [Google Scholar]
  42. Ozeki, H.
    (2016) Corpus-based second language acquisition research. In M. Minami (Ed.), Handbook of Japanese applied linguistics (pp.313–334). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.10.1515/9781614511830‑016
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9781614511830-016 [Google Scholar]
  43. Ozeki, H. & Shirai, Y.
    (2007) Does the Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy predict the difficulty order in the acquisition of Japanese relative clauses?Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 29, 169–196.10.1017/S0272263107070106
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263107070106 [Google Scholar]
  44. Pinker, S. & Prince, A.
    (1988) On language and connectionism: Analysis of a parallel distributed processing model of language acquisition. Cognition, 28(1–2), 73–193.10.1016/0010‑0277(88)90032‑7
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(88)90032-7 [Google Scholar]
  45. Ryding, K. C.
    (2005) A reference grammar of modern standard Arabic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511486975
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975 [Google Scholar]
  46. Salaberry, R.
    (1998) The development of aspectual distinctions in classroom L2 French. Canadian Modern Language Review, 54, 504–542.10.3138/cmlr.54.4.508
    https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.54.4.508 [Google Scholar]
  47. (1999) The development of past tense verbal morphology in classroom L2 Spanish. Applied Linguistics, 20, 151–178.10.1093/applin/20.2.151
    https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/20.2.151 [Google Scholar]
  48. (2000) The acquisition of English past tense in an instructional setting. System, 28, 135–152.10.1016/S0346‑251X(99)00065‑2
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(99)00065-2 [Google Scholar]
  49. Salaberry, R. & Lopez-Ortega, N.
    (1998) Accurate L2 production across language tasks: Focus on form, focus on meaning, and communicative control. The Modern Language Journal, 82, 514–532.10.1111/j.1540‑4781.1998.tb05539.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05539.x [Google Scholar]
  50. Shirai, Y.
    (1991) Primacy of aspect in language acquisition. PhD thesis. Los Angeles: University of California.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. (2004) A multiple-factor account for the form-meaning connections in the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology. In B. VanPatten , J. Williams , S. Rott , & M. Overstreet (Eds.), Form-meaning connections in second language acquisition (pp.91–112). Mahwah: Erlbaum.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. (2010) Semantic bias and morphological regularity in the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology: What is the relation?Linguistics, 48, 171–194.10.1515/ling.2010.005
    https://doi.org/10.1515/ling.2010.005 [Google Scholar]
  53. (2013) Defining and coding data: Lexical aspect in L2 studies. In M. R. Salaberry & L. Comajoan (Eds.), Research design and methodology in studies on L2 tense and aspect (pp.271–308). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.10.1515/9781934078167.271
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9781934078167.271 [Google Scholar]
  54. (in press). Connectionism and second language acquisition. New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Shirai, Y. & Andersen, R. W.
    (1995) The acquisition of tense/aspect morphology: A prototype account. Language, 71, 743–762.10.2307/415743
    https://doi.org/10.2307/415743 [Google Scholar]
  56. Shirai, Y. & Kurono, A.
    (1998) The acquisition of tense-aspect marking in Japanese as a second language. Language Learning, 48, 245–279.10.1111/1467‑9922.00041
    https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9922.00041 [Google Scholar]
  57. Smith, C.
    (1983) A theory of aspectual choice. Language, 59, 479–501.10.2307/413899
    https://doi.org/10.2307/413899 [Google Scholar]
  58. (1997) The parameter of aspect. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.10.1007/978‑94‑011‑5606‑6
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5606-6 [Google Scholar]
  59. Tajika, H.
    (1999) Variable patterns of tense-aspect marking in interlanguage. PhD thesis. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
    [Google Scholar]
  60. Tracy-Ventura, N. & Myles, F.
    (2015) The importance of task variability in the design of learner corpus for SLA research. International Journal of Learner Corpus Research, 1(1), 58–95.10.1075/ijlcr.1.1.03tra
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ijlcr.1.1.03tra [Google Scholar]
  61. Uemura, R.
    (1997) Deeta-beesu de siraberu [Research using databases]. Nihongo-gaku [Japanese Linguistics], 16(12), 60–68.
    [Google Scholar]
  62. Vendler, Z.
    (1967) Linguistics in philosophy. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  63. Verkuyl, H. J.
    (1989) Aspectual classes and aspectual composition. Linguistics and Philosophy, 12, 39–94.10.1007/BF00627398
    https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00627398 [Google Scholar]
  64. Wen, Q. F. , Wang, L. F. , & Liang, M. C.
    (Eds.) (2005) Spoken and written English corpus of Chinese learners [Handbook + CD-ROM]. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
  65. Wolfram, W.
    (1985) Variability in tense marking: A case for the obvious. Language Learning, 25, 229–253.10.1111/j.1467‑1770.1985.tb01026.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1985.tb01026.x [Google Scholar]
  66. Wulff, S. , Ellis, N. , Römer, U. , Bardovi-Harlig, K. , & Leblanc, C.
    (2009) The acquisition of tense-aspect: Converging evidence from corpora and telicity rating. The Modern Language Journal, 93, 354–369.10.1111/j.1540‑4781.2009.00895.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00895.x [Google Scholar]
  67. Zhao, H. & MacWhinney, B.
    (2010) Competing cues: A corpus-bases study of the English tense-aspect in Second Language Acquisition. In K. Franich , K. M. Iserman , & L. L. Keil (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (pp.503–514). Somerville: Cascadilla Press.
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1075/ijlcr.17006.zha
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/ijlcr.17006.zha
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error