The acquisition of English relative clauses by L1 Arabic and Korean speakers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/ExLing-2021/12/0028/000501Keywords:
language processing, language transferAbstract
This study examined the interaction of language transfer and language processing on the second language acquisition of English relative clauses (RCs) by native speakers of Arabic and Korean at intermediate- and advanced-level English proficiency. Experimental participants completed self-paced reading and sentence judgment tasks online. Results show that L1 transfer has a powerful impact on intermediate-level learners; however, transfer effects fade at advanced levels, when L2 RC processing constraints are more influential. Taken together, the results of the sentence judgment task and the reading time results indicate that L1 influence and language processing interact in the L2 acquisition of English RCs, and that the mystery of L1 transfer may be solved by analysing its interaction with other SLA factors.
References
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Marinis, T., Roberts, L., Felser, C., & Clahsen, H. (2005). Gaps in second language processing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27, 53-78.
Tezel, Z. (1998). The Acquisition of Restrictive Relative Clause Configurations in English as a Second Language (PhD dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania).
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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.
