Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 English
The present study explores the acceptability of postverbal subjects by intermediate and advanced L2 English learners with L1 Macedonian, a pro-drop Slavic language with rich verbal morphology. The two languages differ regarding the distribution of subject-verb inversion (SVI): in Macedonian, it is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Silesia Press
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.journals.us.edu.pl/index.php/TAPSLA/article/view/13311 |
| _version_ | 1797740959084052480 |
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| author | Liljana Mitkovska Eleni Bužarovska Natasha Stojanovska-Ilievska |
| author_facet | Liljana Mitkovska Eleni Bužarovska Natasha Stojanovska-Ilievska |
| author_sort | Liljana Mitkovska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The present study explores the acceptability of postverbal subjects by intermediate and advanced L2 English learners with L1 Macedonian, a pro-drop Slavic language with rich verbal morphology. The two languages differ regarding the distribution of subject-verb inversion (SVI): in Macedonian, it is a default pattern in thetic sentences, but English severely restricts SVI to specific contexts. To test the hypothesis that Macedonian learners encounter difficulties in acquisition of English SVI because of crosslinguistic influence, a grammaticality judgement and correction task was administered to two groups of Macedonian learners of
English and a control group of English native speakers. The results revealed that L2 learners find English VS sentences and VS + it-insertion examples more acceptable than the native speakers, but the performance of the advanced group is closer to the native speakers than to the intermediate learners. Both non-native groups accept more readily inappropriate English sentences that conform to typical L1 structures.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:19:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e42242bf4ab446cda22a5336b29572b8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2450-5455 2451-2125 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:19:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | University of Silesia Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition |
| spelling | doaj.art-e42242bf4ab446cda22a5336b29572b82023-08-19T13:40:43ZengUniversity of Silesia PressTheory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition2450-54552451-21252023-08-0110.31261/TAPSLA.13311Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 EnglishLiljana Mitkovska0Eleni Bužarovska1Natasha Stojanovska-Ilievska2AUE-FON University in SkopjeSs. Cyril and Methodius University in SkopjeSs. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje The present study explores the acceptability of postverbal subjects by intermediate and advanced L2 English learners with L1 Macedonian, a pro-drop Slavic language with rich verbal morphology. The two languages differ regarding the distribution of subject-verb inversion (SVI): in Macedonian, it is a default pattern in thetic sentences, but English severely restricts SVI to specific contexts. To test the hypothesis that Macedonian learners encounter difficulties in acquisition of English SVI because of crosslinguistic influence, a grammaticality judgement and correction task was administered to two groups of Macedonian learners of English and a control group of English native speakers. The results revealed that L2 learners find English VS sentences and VS + it-insertion examples more acceptable than the native speakers, but the performance of the advanced group is closer to the native speakers than to the intermediate learners. Both non-native groups accept more readily inappropriate English sentences that conform to typical L1 structures. https://www.journals.us.edu.pl/index.php/TAPSLA/article/view/13311subject inversioninformation structureword orderinterface hypothesis |
| spellingShingle | Liljana Mitkovska Eleni Bužarovska Natasha Stojanovska-Ilievska Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 English Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition subject inversion information structure word order interface hypothesis |
| title | Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 English |
| title_full | Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 English |
| title_fullStr | Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 English |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 English |
| title_short | Acquisition of Structures at Syntax-Discourse Interface: Post-Verbal Subjects in L2 English |
| title_sort | acquisition of structures at syntax discourse interface post verbal subjects in l2 english |
| topic | subject inversion information structure word order interface hypothesis |
| url | https://www.journals.us.edu.pl/index.php/TAPSLA/article/view/13311 |
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