Alan Juffs

Parsing Effects in Second Language Sentence Processing: Subject and Object Asymmetries in "Wh"-Extraction.

This paper reexamines claims that second language learners are more accurate at judging long-distance object extraction than subject extraction and that the difference in accuracy is due to processing factors rather than differences in underlying competence. Although previous studies have reported robust effects for the subject/object asymmetry, the global nature of the response measures leaves open the question of whether the subject gap is in fact the locus of difficulty for second language learners. Using many of the same stimuli sentences from original research in combination with a theory of principle-based parsing, this study employs the moving window display technique to collect on-line measures of processing long-distance wh -extraction. Twenty-five advanced Chinese-speaking ESL learners provided grammaticality judgments in two presentation conditions: full-sentence, where judgment reaction times are measured from sentence onset to the learners judgment; and word-by-word reading, where word-by-word latencies are collected in addition to judgments. The accuracy and reaction time results from the full-sentence condition replicated previous findings. The word-by-word results confirm that it is the subject gap that is the source of difficulty for the learners. Claims in the literature that principles of Universal Grammar are not available to adult learners are not supported by these results, which show that parsing, and not grammatical competence, is the source of difficulty on performance with subject extraction sentences.

Aspects of Working Memory in L2 Learning.

This article reviews research on working memory (WM) and its use in second language (L2) acquisition research. Recent developments in the model and issues surrounding the operationalization of the construct itself are presented, followed by a discussion of various methods of measuring WM. These methods include word and digit span tasks, reading, listening and speaking span tasks. We next outline the role proposed for WM in explaining individual differences in L2 learning processes and outcomes, including sentence processing, reading, speaking, lexical development and general proficiency. Key findings are that WM is not a unitary construct and that its role varies depending on the age of the L2 learners, the task and the linguistic domain. Some tests of WM may in fact be tests of differences in ability to attend to aspects of the L2. Future research will focus on matching tests of WM more closely with linguistic tasks and using more standardized, replicable measures of WM in new areas including writing in non-alphabetic scripts, instructional interventions and cognitive neuropsychology.

The influence of first language on the processing of wh-movement in English as a second language

Adult learners of English as a second language who speak Chinese (n = 30), Japanese (n = 28) or Spanish (n = 46) as a first language (L1), and a comparison group of native speakers (n = 22) read sentences that contain: (a) ungrammatical wh-extractions that violate island constraints; and (b) grammatical long-distance Subject and Object extractions from finite and nonfinite clauses. Word-by-word reading times for each sentence were collected using the self-paced reading technique. Results suggest that the presence or absence of wh-movement in the L1 and the headedness of the verb phrase in the L1 are unable to explain all of the variation between the nonnative speaker groups. Severe garden path effects were observed in Subject extractions from finite clauses, but not in extractions from nonfinite clauses, suggesting that two finite verbs next to one another may be an important factor in causing parsing break-down. Individual variation in reading time was not predictable from measures of reading span or word span in either the first or second language.

Learnability and the lexicon : theories and second language acquisition research

This book provides a critical review of recent theories of semantics-syntax correspondences and makes new proposals for constraints on semantic structure relevant to syntax. Data from several languages are presented which suggest that semantic structure in root morphemes is subject to parametric variation which has effect across a variety of verb classes, including locatives, unaccusatives, and psych verbs.The implications for first and second language acquisition are discussed. In particular, it is suggested that different parametric settings may lead to a learnability problem if adult learners do not retain access to sensitivity to underlying semantic organization and morphological differences between languages provided by Universal Grammar. An experiment with Chinese-speaking learners of English is presented which shows that learners initially transfer L1 semantic organization to the L2, but are able to retreat from overgeneralisations and achieve native-like grammars in this area. Suggestions for further research in this rapidly developing area of theory and acquisition research are also made.

Main Verb Versus Reduced Relative Clause Ambiguity Resolution in L2 Sentence Processing

This study investigated how adult learners of English as a second language (ESL) process sentences containing verbs that are temporarily ambiguous in interpretation between a main verb and a reduced relative clause. Seventeen Chinese, 17 Korean or Japanese, and 17 Romance learners with advanced ESL proficiency and a comparison group of 17 monolingual native speakers (NSs) of English provided word-by-word reading times for 6 sentence types. The evidence showed that they used both verb subcategorization information and post-ambiguity cues to resolve main verb/reduced relative clause ambiguity The data also indicated that bad post-ambiguity cues misled some ESL users more than others, differences that can be attributed to their first languages (L1s). These results suggest that (a) like native speakers, ESL speakers are sensitive to the complex interaction of information sources when parsing a sentence; (b) adult ESL learners are influenced by typological properties of their L1s that are linked to L1 parsing strategies when processing ESL.

Some effects of first language argument structure and morphosyntax on second language sentence processing

This article explores some effects of first language verb-argument structure on second language processing of English as a second language. Speakers of Chinese, Japanese or Korean, three Romance languages and native English speakers provided word-by-word reading times and grammaticality judgement data in a self-paced reading task. Results suggest that reliable differences in parsing are not restricted to cases where verb-argument structure differs crosslinguistically.

Tone, Syllable Structure and Interlanguage Phonology: Chinese Learners' Stress Errors.

Dieser Artikel analysiert die Rolle von Tonhöhe (pitch) und Sübenstruktur bei Betonungsfehlern, die von Chinesen mit Englisch als Fremdsprache gemacht werden. Bei diesen Lernenden hängen Betonungsfehler besonders mit der Silbenstruktur der Lexeme und der Stellung der lexikalischen Elemente im Satzrhythmus zusammen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Analyse deuten u.a. daraufhin, daß die segmentalen phonetischen Elemente beim künstlichen Zweitsprachenerwerb vor den prosodischen Mustern erlernt werden, also in der umgekehrten Reihenfolge als beim Erstsprachenerwerb.

Psycholinguistically Oriented Second Language Research.

This chapter reviews recent research that investigates second language performance from the perspective of sentence processing (on-line comprehension studies) and word recognition. It concentrates on describing methods that employ reaction time measures as correlates of processing difficulty or knowledge representation. This research suggests that second language learners employ much the same on-line processing strategies as native speakers, but that the L1 can also influence L2 processing. Reaction times in lexical decision experiments have been useful in exploring the relationship between the first and second language lexicons and automatic processes in lexical access. Finally, the chapter mentions some of the problems in this line of research, in particular the issue of individual differences in working memory and technological challenges.

Personalization of Reading Passages Improves Vocabulary Acquisition

The REAP tutoring system provides individualized and adaptive English as a Second Language vocabulary practice. REAP can automatically personalize instruction by providing practice readings about topics that match interests as well as domain-based, cognitive objectives. While most previous research on motivation in intelligent tutoring environments has focused on increasing extrinsic motivation, this study focused on increasing personal interest. Students were randomly split into control and treatment groups. The control-condition tutor chose texts to maximize domain-based goals such as the density of practice opportunities for target words. The treatment-condition tutor also preferred texts that matched personal interests. The results show positive effects of personalization, and also demonstrate the importance of negotiating between motivational and domain-based goals.

The acquisition of semantics-syntax correspondences and verb frequencies in ESL materials

This article provides an analysis of the frequency of verbs and their syntactic requirements in Interchange (Richards et al., 1991), a popular series of textbooks for English as a second language (ESL). Current theoretical approaches to verb classes permit a fine-grained crosslinguistic description of differences in semantics-syntax correspondences for verbs; in this article, transitive verbs are split into five subcategories and intransitives are split into two categories. A corpus analysis of Interchange suggests that ESL materials may under-represent some of the verb classes that are known to cause learners difficulty. These findings suggest that weak contrastive analysis and a more careful consideration of syntactic properties of verbs could be useful to teachers and materials writers.