| 總結: | When starting to learn the classifier-noun combination in a second language
(L2), how do we acquire the grammar, semantics, and words? Some scholars have
argued that beginning L2 learners rely on semantics more than grammar, while others
have stated that there is no significantly stronger reliance on one rule than another.
Meanwhile, some scholars have claimed that L2 learning is ultimately related to the
acquisition of individual words rather than grammatical and semantic rules. Since the
debate is unsettled, the current study investigated this issue under a classifier-noun
compound learning experiment. Specifically, the current design generated two
learning conditions, one with the existence of both grammar and semantics and the
other with the existence of only semantics.
Three post-tests were constructed to test the interplay of grammar, semantics,
and word learning in the acquisition of L2 classifier-noun combinations. The sortal
classifiers carried the grammatical information which was not available in the generic
classifier. The nouns carried the semantic information. Subjects studied the noun
phrases either with sortal classifiers and nouns or with generic classifiers and nouns.
Their learning outcomes were assessed through three post-tests, including choosing
the correct noun phrases with the interferences from different types of distractors and
identifying the correct sortal classifiers for different types of noun phrases. The results
suggested that the beginning L2 learners did not clearly prefer processing grammar or
semantics in word learning. However, when some preference was detected, the
beginning L2 learners did not excessively rely on semantics. Moreover, they cannot
process the L2 knowledge they have obtained in the same manner as the native
speakers. To conclude, this study generally conveys that grammar and semantics,
especially grammar, may not be as essential as people assumed in L2 acquisition. It
also suggests potential directions for future language learning research in teaching and
developing theories.
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