L1 and L2 Acquisition of Negation and Questions PDF

UNIT 5: NEGATION AND QUESTIONS L1 ACQUISITION OF NEGATION: STAGES 1.​ STAGE 1: Sentential negation (there may be some imitation in this initial stage, but imitation is not primordial in these stages as a whole). a.​ No(t) + sentence i.​ No I can go ii...

UNIT 5: NEGATION AND QUESTIONS L1 ACQUISITION OF NEGATION: STAGES 1.​ STAGE 1: Sentential negation (there may be some imitation in this initial stage, but imitation is not primordial in these stages as a whole). a.​ No(t) + sentence i.​ No I can go ii.​ No sit here iii.​ No fall 2.​ STAGE 2: a.​ No(t) + verb (there is also typically a subject) i.​ He no bite you 3.​ STAGE 3: a.​ AUX + not + V: Don’t, can’t [unanalysed: no tense, no person] (this is used as a negator, the child does not have it as an auxiliary, they just see it as a negation particle) i.​ I can’t go [no tense] ii.​ He don’t want it [no tense, no person] 4.​ STAGE 4: a.​ AUX + not + V: doesn’t didn’t, won’t, isn’t (fully analysed: tense, person) i.​ You didn’t have supper (past, second person singular) ii.​ She doesn’t want it (present, third person, singular) iii.​ This is not ice cream (negator after verb to be, present, third person singular) iv.​ He is not taking it v.​ I didn’t caught it (double past) L2 ACQUISITION OF NEGATION: STAGES 1.​ STAGE 1: Sentential negation a.​ No(t) + sentence: i.​ No bicycle ii.​ No have any sand 2.​ STAGE 2: a.​ No(t) + V  i.​ He no like it b.​ Don’t + V [unanalysed: no tense, no person] (used as a negator, not as an auxiliary) i.​ He don’t like it (“don’t” can be for present or for past) ii.​ I don’t can sing (here we can see that “don’t” is just used as a negator and not as an auxiliary) 3.​ STAGE 3: a.​ Aren’t, isn’t can’t i.​ He is not skinny ii.​ He was not happy iii.​ He can’t see b.​ Don’t + V [unanalysed: no person] i.​ She don’t like rice (here, “don’t” is for the present because now they understand is for the present, but there is no agreement between Subject and Verb because that is acquired later) 4.​ STAGE 4: a.​ Don’t, doesn’t, didn’t [fully analysed: tense, person] i.​ It doesn’t work [present, third singular] ii.​ We didn’t have supper [past, first singular] iii.​ I didn’t went there [“double” past] iv.​ She doesn’t wants to go [“double” person] CONCLUSION: Similar developmental sequences in L1 and L2 for negation. The stages in syntax are more similar between L1 and L2 than those of grammar. L2 ENGLISH INTERROGATIVES INTERROGATIVES IN NATIVE ENGLISH: SYNTACTIC RULES 1.​ Inversion with the verb “to be” (main characteristic to tell the hearer that we are asking) a.​ John was in London → Was John in London? 2.​ Auxiliary do: other verbs a.​ John bought a book → Did John buy a book? 3.​ Wh- words: fronting + inversion/auxiliary a.​ John was in London → Where was John? (FRONTING + INVERSION)  b.​ John bought a book → What did John buy? (FRONTING + AUXILIARY) L1 ACQUISITION OF QUESTIONS: STAGES 1.​ STAGE 1: a.​ Intonation, sentence fragments (because children cannot form full sentences): i.​ Mommy book? b.​ No inversion with yes-no questions (Chinese style): i.​ I can go? ii.​ This is it? c.​ Fronting: wh-word at the beginning i.​ Where kitty? (even if they have acquired it, they don’t say it) 2.​ STAGE 2: Fronting stage a.​ Fronting: more wh- words at the beginning, no inversion. i.​ Why you catch it? ii.​ What book name? b.​ Fronting: verb at the beginning, no inversion (this is in case we have a question) (they know they have to add something at the front because everyone is doing it, however, they do not know that that is the verb that is being inverted, that is why the verb can appear later in the clause) i.​ Is the teddy is tired? ii.​ Do I can have a cookie? 3.​ STAGE 3: a.​ Inversion in main clause (now they understand auxiliaries): i.​ Where can I go? ii.​ Will you help me? iii.​ What did you do? b.​ Inversion in subordinate clause: i.​ I know what I can do 4.​ STAGE 4: a.​ No inversion in the subordinate clause i.​ I know what I can do ii.​ Can you tell me what the time is? iii.​ I forgot to ask where the results are going to be published. L2 ACQUISITION OF QUESTIONS: STAGES  1.​ STAGE 1: a.​ Intonation with sentence fragments: i.​ Four children? ii.​ A dog? b.​ Intonation with declaratives, no inversion: i.​ It’s a monster in the right corner? ii.​ The boys throw the shoes? 2.​ STAGE 2: a.​ Fronting: Wh- fronting, no inversion: i.​ Where the little children are? ii.​ What the dog are playing? b.​ Fronting: verb (to do, to be) at the beginning, no inversion (do or is as particles to ask but they don’t understand them as auxiliaries): i.​ Does in this picture there is four astronauts? ii.​ Is the picture has two planets on top? 3.​ STAGE 3: a.​ Inversion in main clause: i.​ Where is the sun? ii.​ Is there a fish in the water? b.​ Inversion in subordinate clause: i.​ Can you tell me what is the date today? = Can you tell me what the date is today? 4.​ STAGE 4: a.​ No inversion in subordinate i.​ Can you tell me what the date is today? b.​ Tag questions (acquired relatively late) i.​ It’s better, isn’t it? CONCLUSION: Similar developmental stages in L1 and L2. ​ ​ L2 learners pass through the same stages, despite their L1s. ​ ​ Route is the same, though rate (=speed) may differ depending on L1 (for instance, Spanish learners of English get the interrogative structure faster than Japanese L1s). CONCLUSION: L2 learners go through a series of developmental stages for syntax (like L1  learners). Similarities between L1 and L2: learners pass through similar stages (= same route) even if the speed might be affected by the L1. As teachers, we focus on achieving the last stage whilst considering the actual stage in which students are in. L2 GERMAN WORD ORDER AND THE TEACHABILITY HYPOTHESIS WORD ORDER IN NATIVE GERMAN 1.​ Verb second: a.​ S-V-Adv-O: Johan kaufte ein Buch = John bought today a book b.​ Adv-V-S-O: Inversion with initial verb → Heute kaufte Johan ein Buch = Today bought John a book 2.​ Verb final: Verb separation with auxiliaries → Johann hat heute ein Buch gekauft = John had today a book bought 3.​ All verbs final: Subordinate clause → Sie weiss, da [Johann heite ein Buch gekauft hat] = She knows that [John today a book bought had] Natives of German acquire these through stages. L2 ACQUISITION OF GERMAN WORD ORDER ZISA (in the 70s and 80s) project in Germany: L1 Spa/Ital/Port - L2 German Results: emergence of word order in stages (syntax emerges in stages) 1.​ STAGE 0: On word, formulas: Kinder 2.​ STAGE 1: SVO strategy a.​ Die Kinder spielen mit Ball = The children play with ball 3.​ STAGE 2: Adverb preposing (but no verb second) strategy: a.​ Da Kinder spielen = There children play b.​ Correctly said, the sentence would be = Da spielen Kinder 4.​ STAGE 3: Verb separation strategy a.​ Alle Kinder muss die Pause machen = All children must the pause make 5.​ STAGE 4: Inversion with initial adverb strategy (This means that they separate the auxiliary from the main verb and then they also know that, if they put an adverb first thing in the sentence, then the auxiliary follows, as well as the subject after that auxiliary)  a.​ Dann hat sie wieder die Koch gebringt = Then has she again the bone brought 6.​ STAGE 5: Verb-final in subordinate strategy a.​ Er sagte das er nach Hause kommt = He said that he to house comes CONCLUSION (PIENEMANN ET AL) This is “probably one of the most robust empirical findings in SLA research, because the same sequence has been found with a considerable number of further informants in studies carried out independently of each other” → All learners of German follow these stages independently of the L1 (same route, different speed). But, at a given time, learners may be in more than one stage (learners may use aspects from one stage when they are in a lower one or on a higher one). Learners move to the next stage when they are cognitively ready. This means that they will get the thing when they are ready to. PIENEMANN (1988) - THE TEACHABILITY HYPOTHESIS Research question: Does teaching permit “skipping” a stage in the natural sequence of development of German word order? Subjects: -​ L1 English - L2 German (University students in Australia) -​ They all were at stage 2, but they divided them in two groups: -​ Group 1 was taught stage 3 (following the natural order) -​ Group 2 was taught stage 4 Results: -​ Group 1 moved to stage 3 -​ Group 2: either remained in stage 2 o moved to stage 3 Implications for LT: -​ There is no point in teaching what they are not developmentally ready to learn (→ teachability hypothesis: “Teach what is teachable”: Teach what is teachable because learners follow stages and they will not learn something that they are not ready to learn)  -​ Teach what is acquirable more than teach what is teachable (technically everything is teachable but not because it is teachable it will be acquired). -​ Teaching cannot change the “natural” development of syntax -​ Other L2 research: Teaching can change the rate (=speed) but not the route (=stages). Teachability can also be applied to morphology in a way (e.g.: don’t be stubborn on trying to get students to learn the -s because that is the last thing you get). However, it was not created to talk about morphology but on learning German and whether or not we can skip a stage in word order. L2 SYNTAX: 2 TYPES OF COMPETENCE: FORMULAIC VS RULE-BASED FORMULAIC LANGUAGE: PREFABRICATED “CHUNKS” L2ers sometimes appear to have learned a construction… but have they? To answer this, Hakuta (1974) directed a study with L1 Japanese - L2 English bilingual children in USA, all of them in their early stages: FROM FORMULAS TO RULES Sequence of syntactic acquisition: chunks → errors → correct 1.​ Rote learnt competence (in stages 1 and 2) a.​ CHUNKS: What’s your name?; Where do you live?; Do you like this? b.​ FRONTING: i.​ Wh- fronting, no inversion: Where the little children are? ii.​ Verb at the beginning, no inversion: Does in this picture there is four astronauts? 2.​ Rule-based competence (stages 3 and 4) a.​ INVERSION IN MAIN CLAUSE: Where is the sun? b.​ INVERSION IN SUBORDINATE CLAUSE: Can you tell me what is the date? c.​ NO INVERSION IN SUBORDINATE: Can you tell me what the date is today? We can compare this to U-shaped learning. What are the implications for ELT: Instruction should ensure the development of both role-learnt competence and rule-based competence → It is not a bad idea to let students learn chunks when they are beginning to learn a language because it helps with their confidence. When they keep learning, they will make mistakes and later get it right, but chunks should not be prohibited. CONCLUSIONS: SLA AND LT -​ Clear and solid findings from SLA which could be implemented in LT -​ Learners follow certain “orders” and “progress” through their own scheduled stages… BUT teaching grammar is about teaching the final (=grammatical) stage because you cannot teach stage 1 or stage 2, since they are ungrammatical. -​ Often teaching does not equal acquisition -​ Communication “gap” between SLA and LT -​ Basic recommendation: -​ The notion of “teaching” should imply awareness of the “learning” of what is being taught -​ So, if you teach X, do no assume that X must be acquired immediately. Bear this in mind when assessing. -​ Construct your own SLA-informed LT.