Language Acquisition and Language Structure Flashcards
LALS UU
What does it mean for decision-making to be context-dependant?
The value of an option depends not only on the option in question, but also on the other options in the choice set, the context.
What are the two types of intransitive verbs?
- Unergative
- Unaccusative
Intransitive verb
A verb that requires only one argument.
What is the difference between unergatives and unaccusatives?
The theta-role they assign to the only argument they take.
Unaccusative verb
An intransitive verb that only takes an argument with theta-role ‘theme’.
Unergative verb
An intransitive verb that only takes an argument with theta-role ‘agent’.
What is the difference between broad and narrow focus?
Narrow focus extends only over only a single consituent (ex: NP), broad focus over multiple constituents.
What are the two main accounts for difficulty in acquiring VS-inversion in Spanish?
- Unaccusative trap hypothesis (UTH)
- Interface hypothesis (IH)
UTH (abbreviation)
unaccusative trap hypothesis
IH (abbreviation)
Interface hypothesis
Unaccusative trap hypothesis (UTH)
One of the two main accounts for difficulty in acquiring VS-inversion in Spanish. Says difficulty is caused by representational deficit.
Interface hypothesis (IH)
One of the two main accounts for difficulty in acquiring VS-inversion in Spanish. Says SV-order is an interface phenomenon: both pragmatic & syntactic constraints. Interface phenomena are acquired later than other phenomena.
Residual optionality
When L2 learners can access both a form/structure in L1 and the corresponding form/structure in L2.
CLLD (abbreviation)
Clitic left dislocations
Clitic left dislocations (CLLD)
When a phrase is left dislocated and a clitic precedes the verb.
EPP (abbreviation)
Extended projection principle
Extended projection principle (EPP)
Every finite clause must have a subject and the specifier of certain functional phrases must be filled.
Final attainment
The ultimate level of proficiency that a learner achieves in a particular language.
By what age do children know their L1?
By 4-5 years.
Is acquisition uniform across all languages?
Yes.
What is the difference between the stages, order and final state of L1 acquisition in children?
There is no difference, it is uniform across languages.
Logical problem of language acquisition
Argument of poverty of stimulus
Poverty of stimulus (POS) argument
There is a mismatch between the input children are exposed to and their final attainment. An argument for innate knowledge.
Is there innate knowledge in 2L1?
Yes, the language faculty is programmed to learn one or more languages.
Is there innate knowledge in L2?
Yes, innate knowledge is somehow available but also interacts with L1 transfer and amount of input.
What components overlap with L1 acquisition in the slides graph?
UG and L1 input.
What components overlap with L2 acquisition in the slides graph?
UG, L1 input, L1 and L2 input.
How does L1 transfer develop during L2 acquisition?
L1 transfer is strong in the beginning of the acquisition process but may decrease over time.
What are the crucial factors in L2 acquisition?
L1 transfer and UG access.
What is the case if UG access is available in the L2 acquisition process?
Parameters remain unchanged (the L1) or parameters may be set according to L2 values, or parameters may be reset (L1 ->Ln).
Full-transfer hypothesis
Says that learners transfer all aspects of L1 to L2, so UG parameters remain unchanged.
Full-access hypothesis
Says that learnes have access to the full linguistic system when learning L2, so the UG parameters are all available (L1 -> Ln).
What is the language separation issue concerned with?
The grammatical knowledge of children, NOT the use children make of the two languages.
What two competing views are presented in the issue of language separation?
- Fusion hypothesis
- Differentiation hypothesis
Fusion hypothesis
Says that children create a new, integrated system that combines the two separate systems in 2L1 acquisition.
Differentiation hypothesis
Says that children differentiate two systems as soon as they have access to grammatical knowledge in 2L1 acquisition.
Describe the 3 steps in Volterra & Taeschner’s model of bilingual language development (fusion hypothesis)
- 1 lexical system containing elements from both languages.
- 2 distinct lexical systems, but same syntactic rules.
- 2 distinct grammatical systems.
Head-complement parameter
The UG parameter concerned with whether a language is a head-initial or head-final pattern in its phrase structure.
What hypothesis about the language separation issue is supported by the DUFDE project?
The differentiation hypothesis, because DE-FR bilingual kids only use correct word order from 1:10 y/o and their language development pattern is that of monolinguals.
Is there a critical period for L1?
Yes, around puberty.
Is there a critical period for L2?
Not really, there is a sensitive period.
What is the sensitive period for L2?
Until 7 years old it’s good, after that final attainment level decreases. After age 16 no relation found between age and proficiency.
IL (abbreviation)
Interlanguage
Interlanguage (IL)
The intermediate stage in the L2 acquisition process.
Describe the learner’s interlanguage grammar in 5 terms:
It is
1. transitional,
2. systematic,
3. unique,
4. independent and
5. prone to fossilization.
What does it mean that the learner’s interlanguage grammar is transitional?
It changes over time, there is an interlanguage continuum.
What does it mean that the learner’s interlanguage grammar is systematic?
It follows specific rules.
Explain why the learner’s interlanguage system is called unique:
It is a unique linguistic system, a set of abstract rules.
What does it mean that the learner’s interlanguage grammar is independent?
It is independent from L1 and from the target language.
What does it mean that the learner’s interlanguage grammar is prone to fossilization?
Errors or non-standard features in a learner’s language use persist over time, even after extensive exposure to the target language and instruction.
By what is the grammar of interlanguage constrained?
By UG.
What are the two theories presented concerning interference in bilingual acquisition?
- Representational approach
- Processing approach
Representational approach
A theory explaining the interference in bilingual acquisition. Says that learners sometimes draw the wrong conclusions when analyzing input & formulating grammar rules, so we can predict direction of influence.
Processing approach
A theory explaining the interference in bilingual acquisition. Says that different constructions are complex and have high processing cost, thus incorrect constructions also. We can not predict direction of influence, errors are inherent.
What does the unaccusativity trap hypothesis predict in the Spanish study by Dominguez & Arche 2014?
Says that learners overgeneralize and treat unaccusatives as unergatives. Advanced learners recover from this stage & may overgeneralize in opposite direciton.
What does the interface hypothesis predict in the Spanish study by Dominguez & Arche 2014?
Syntax is acquired fully, but there are problems mapping structures to discourse-pragmatics use.
What are the two approaches in the interface hypothesis?
- representational approach
- processing approach
Heritage language
A minority language (either immigrant or indigenous) learned by its speakers at home as children and difficult to be fully developed because of insufficient input from the social environment.
What two possible accounts does Montrul 2021 propose for heritage language grammars being less complex than baselinge grammars?
- Representational
- Computational
Receptive bilinguals
Bilinguals who have stronger receptive than productive skills in the heritage language.
Differential lexical and syntactic activation
An account for the simplification of heritage language grammar. Speakers with intermediate to advanced proficiency in HL may have the same linguistic representation as natives, but slower lexical access and retrieval and less efficient building of syntactic projections for comprehension and production.
Missing surface inflection hypothesis
Morphological errors in adult L2 acquisition may not be due to a deficit in syntactic representation, but to reduced efficiency during processing and production.
Linguistic complexity (absolute)
A formal property of linguistic systems related to their structure, measured by the number of functional categories and features.
Linguistic complexity (relative)
Takes into account processing cost and timing of acquisition.
Cognitive processing cost
Measures processing costs associated with accessing and using linguistic structures.
Developmental processing cost
Is concerned with the order in which linguisitc structures emerge and are leanred in L1 and L2 acquisition.
Complexity (in heritage language acquisition)
How heritage language differs structurally from the baseline grammar, and how final level of proficiency is related to circumstances of acquisition in a language contact situation.
Morphological competence
Knowledge of which form goes with which features.
Feature reassembly hypothesis
Account for less complexity in L2. Says that difficulty with L2 acquisition lies in acquiring the structural organization of features in different grammars.
E-language (abbreviation)
External language
Representational differences account
Simplification found in heritage language grammar occurs either at the level of syntactic projections or at the level of formal features.
Weaker links hypothesis
About the differences in speed and accuracy of lexical access between monolinguals and bilinguals. Says it is a function of cumulative life experience.
DOM (abbreviation)
differential object marking
EA (abbreviation)
external argument
What are the two viable explanations for less complex heritage language grammar that Montrul 2021 proposes in her conclusion?
- Due to loss of complexity at representational level, affecting feature structure and reorganization.
- Some featural representation, but less efficient lexical access, activation and syntactic computations.
Features
Abstract grammatical elements that inform us of the syntactic properties of words. The ‘atoms’ of language.
What are the two guises of features?
- Interpretable
- Uninterpretable
interpretable features
Features that make semantic contributions.
Uinterpretable features
Features that don’t make any semantic contribution.
Agreement
A relationship between two items: one carries a particular feature and deterines the presence of that feature on the other one too.
How does agreement work?
The interpretable feature value on the nominal element is shared with the uninterpretable feature on the verbal element, which gets valued.
Formal features
Features that are part of the inventory of UG and part of the lexicon.
How are gender features acquired by heritage speakers?
HSs have two lexicons. They select the formal features from UG for both languages. There are two independent linguistic systems.
Gender assignment is… and gender agreement is…
Lexical & syntactic
What are the different types of subjects in adult language?
Lexical subjects
Null subjects
‘weather’ verbs
Propositions
Lexical subjects
Names, DPs etcN
Null subjects
When the subject is part of verb inflection, for example ‘parto’ = ‘i leave’./
‘Weather’ verbs
Expletives, ‘it’ rained etc
Proposition subjects
Parts of the sentence that are the subject, for example ‘that Bill loves chocolate’.
What does the EPP say about null-subjects?
All clauses must have subjects.
A movement
Argument movement: subject NPs move to Spec IP.
A’ movement
Non-argument movement: Movement of an operator that bounds a variable in base position.
What does A’-movement normally have?
The operator moved carries some interpretive aspects that involve the whole clause, example: WH questions.
pro
A silent pronoun licenses by T and identified by phi-features on the agreement morpheme on the V
What determines the distribution of pro/explicit subject pronoun?
Discourse rules.
Topic drop languages
Languages that do not have rich agreement and have nulls ubjects that are not pronominal. Null category is considered a varibale, t, created by movement of empty operator to Spec CP.
What are the two accounts for early null subjects?
- Parametric accounts
- Competence-based account
Parametric accounts
Accounts for early null subjects, says that the Pro Drop parameter starts with a default value that in certain languages has to be reset
Competence-based account
The truncation hypothesis, says that early grammar has the option of truncating structures
Structural ambiguity
Constructions that allow for more than one grammatical analysis.
When does crosslinguistic interference occur?
When a specific construction involves an interface level and the two languages seem to overlap at the surface level.
