The V2 myth

Evidence for a functional motivation of V3 in L2 German from a self-paced reading study

Dados Bibliográficos

ID11655686
AutoresOliver Bunk (0000-0003-4505-4873, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, autor correspondente), Jana Gamper (0000-0001-6268-4880, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen)
Ano2025
Data de publicação2025-12-29
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSecond language Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0267-6583 • E-ISSN: 1477-0326
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/02676583251395863
OpenAlexW7117546415
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas45

Although German is described as adhering to a V2 constraint, restricting preverbal elements to one, corpus data reveal that V3 constructions systematically occur in everyday German, challenging the rigidity of the V2 rule. This discrepancy raises questions about the validity of V2 as a strict syntactic constraint, with significant implications for L3 acquisition. While L3 learners often produce V3 structures, these have been largely dismissed as errors rather than analysed for their potential functions. To date, little research has explored the functions that V3 might fulfil in L3 speakers’ language use. This article argues that both L1 speakers and L3 learners employ V3 structures for similar discourse-pragmatic and information-structural purposes, warranting a reconsideration of V3’s role in German. We present findings from a self-paced reading study with German learners at different proficiency levels, examining how V3 differs from V2 in sentence processing. The study identifies factors influencing processing strategies, particularly verb position and preverbal constituents. Our results suggest that V3 structures arise from information-structural and discourse-functional features of German, positioning these constructions as legitimate elements of the language. This work challenges the traditional V2 paradigm, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of German syntax and learner variation

German · Language acquisition · Language proficiency · Reading (process · Sentence · Syntax · Verb · Word order · Language Development and Disorders · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation