Embedded aspect in L2 acquisition: Evidence from L1-Russian learners of Greek
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/ExLing-2010/03/0021/000141Keywords:
acquisition, cross-linguistic interference, embedded aspect, imperfective, perfectiveAbstract
This work investigates first-language (L1) influence on second-language (L2) acquisition of embedded aspect, comparing participants with homogeneous L1 background (Russian) in Greece (L2 Standard Modern Greek) and Cyprus (L2 Cypriot Greek), where verb complementation takes a finite form instead of an infinitival as in Russian. The focus of the experimental study is on those embedded sentential environments which allow only perfective aspect in Greek but either perfective or imperfective in Russian. The findings are taken to support the Full Transfer/Full Access Hypothesis, according to which aspect is part of Universal Grammar; L2 learners can reach native-like attainment due to access to UG, while at the initial stage of L2 acquisition transfer from L1 into L2 takes place.
References
Malagardi, I. 1993. Problems of Greek aspect morphology and the identification of projection for Tense and Aspect. In: Philippaki-Warburton, I., Nicolaidis, K., & Sifianou, M. (eds.), Themes in Greek Linguistics, 161-169. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Moser, A. 1993. The interaction of lexical and grammatical aspect in Modern Greek. In: Philippaki-Warburton, I., Nicolaidis, K., & Sifianou, M. (eds.), Themes in Greek Linguistics, 137-145. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Roussou, A. 2009. Selecting complementizers. Lingua, 119(12), 1811-1836.
Schwartz, B.D., & Sprouse, R. 1994. Word order and nominative case in nonnative language acquisition: A longitudinal study of (L1 Turkish) German interlanguage. In: Hoekstra, T., & Schwartz, B.D. (eds.), Language Acquisition Studies in Generative Grammar, 317-368. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Slabakova, R. 2005. What is so difficult about telicity marking in L2 Russian? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 8(1), 63-77.
Tsimpli, I.M. 2003. Clitics and determiners in L2 Greek. Proceedings of the 6th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2002), 291-300. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.
Veloudis, I., & Philippaki-Warburton, I. 1983. Η Υποτακτική στα Νέα Ελληνικά [The subjunctive mood in Modern Greek]. Studies in Greek Linguistics, 151-169.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2010 Sviatlana Karpava (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.