Investigation on Effects of Parametric Variation on Second Language Learners’ Performance from the Perspective of Pro-drop Parameters for Chinese learners of English

Abstract

Many researchers believed that second language learning would be influenced by their mother tongue due to the language transfer. Some thought that L1 transfer might be very limited in L2 acquisition. This research would choose pro-drop parameter as a parametric variation for Chinese learners of English to discuss the role of UG operate development of L2 learner s acquisition. Some of the Chinese students who have studied English for about 3 or 6 years and the foreigners whose native tongue was English would be the subjects to witness their performance on the null-subject and overt-subject sentences. Based on their results of the questionnares collected, the conclusion could be drawn that L1 setting in some sense is to be “de-activated” with the development of L2 English. Chinese learners of English transfer their L1 parameter to the initiate state of L2 development, and produce transfer errors on L2 acquisition.