Subject-verb agreement marking by Ghanaian learners of French

Bibliographic Data

ID21757372
AuthorsPromise Dodzi Kpoglu (0000-0003-3521-4415, University of Ghana, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume41
Issue2
Pages130-142
Publication date2023-04-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouthern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1607-3614 • E-ISSN: 1727-9461
PublisherNational Inquiry Services Center (NISC) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2989/16073614.2022.2106255
OpenAlexW4323268846
LanguageEN
References cited18

In learning French as a foreign language, mastery of agreement marking is indicative of learner progression. In this article, I focus on how subject-verb agreement markers are acquired by Ghanaian learners of French. Based on written data collected from examination scripts, I attempt to present a coherent explanation for the trends noted. The results show that allomorphy that characterises the verb stem influences the production of agreement markers. While verbs with a single stem are strongly associated with first person singular marking, verbs without an identifiable stem are more strongly associated with third person singular marking. Interpreting this within the item-learning/rule-learning dichotomy, it is argued that both strategies are simultaneously deployed. Consequently, it is suggested that the dichotomy between rule-based versus item-based learning can be impacted by the modality of language

Agreement · Linguistics · Modal verb · Physics · Scripting language · Verb · Computer Science · Linguistics and Discourse Analysis · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation · Artificial Intelligence

Tools

Open DOI