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The stability of UG principles in second-language acquisition

Evidence from Japanese

Bibliographic Data

ID3989605
AuthorsKazue Kanno (corresponding author)
Year1998
Volume36
Issue6
Publication date1998-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLinguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0024-3949 • E-ISSN: 1613-396X
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/ling.1998.36.6.1125
OpenAlexW2055350440
LanguageEN
Citations received8

Second-language acquisition is subject to great variation in terms both of ultimate attainment and of the developmental process itself. This paper explores the possibility that at least part of this variation is due to a lack of stability in learners' access to UG. I report here on a limited-scope longitudinal study that examines this matter. The study focuses on a UG principle that prevents overt pronouns from having quantified NPs as antecedents in languages (such as Japanese) that have null pronouns. Data was collected from a group of 29 English-speaking adults learning Japanese as a second language at two different times. For both sessions, the L2 learners as a group exhibited a statistically significant difference in their interpretation of null and overt pronominals when there was a quantified antecedent. These results clearly suggest access to UG. However, when the performance of individual L2 learners is examined, one can discern a striking inconsistency across the two sessions. I propose that this inconsistency reflects an instability in the relevant UG principle that results from its relatively infrequent use in the course of second-language acquisition

Antecedent (behavioral psychology) · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · First language · Interpretation (philosophy) · Language acquisition · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Null (SQL) · Scope (computer science) · Second-language acquisition · Variation (astronomy) · Computer Science · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Psychology · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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Unique citing works8
Citations per year0,31
Citation span2000 - 2020 (21)
Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 8

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