Syntax and Discourse in Near-Native French: Clefts and Focus

Applied Psycholinguistics, 2013

This article investigates knowledge of discourse-conditioned left dislocations in the interlanguage competence in Spanish and English second language learners. Although Spanish clitic left dislocation (CLLD) and English topicalization are functionally very similar, they differ in that the former but not the latter requires the dislocated phrase to be clitic doubled. In contrast, the fronted focus (FF) construction is functionally and syntactically similar in the two languages. Two experimental studies investigated knowledge of the syntactic form and discourse appropriateness of CLLD and topicalization, using knowledge of FF as a baseline. English-native learners of Spanish were successful in acquiring CLLD as well as FF. However, Spanish-native learners of English demonstrated no knowledge of English topicalization even at near-native levels of proficiency, whereas they did well on the transferable FF. These results are examined in the light of the interface hypothesis. It is argued that construction frequency in the input and transfer from the native language, but only those two factors together, can explain the experimental results.

Applied Psycholinguistics, 2014

This article investigates knowledge of discourse-conditioned left dislocations in the interlanguage competence in Spanish and English second language learners. Although Spanish clitic left dislocation (CLLD) and English topicalization are functionally very similar, they differ in that the former but not the latter requires the dislocated phrase to be clitic doubled. In contrast, the fronted focus (FF) construction is functionally and syntactically similar in the two languages. Two experimental studies investigated knowledge of the syntactic form and discourse appropriateness of CLLD and topicalization, using knowledge of FF as a baseline. English-native learners of Spanish were successful in acquiring CLLD as well as FF. However, Spanish-native learners of English demonstrated no knowledge of English topicalization even at near-native levels of proficiency, whereas they did well on the transferable FF. These results are examined in the light of the interface hypothesis. It is argued that construction frequency in the input and transfer from the native language, but only those two factors together, can explain the experimental results.

Language, Interaction and Acquisition, 2013

This study critically examines the widespread practice of comparing the linguistic processes and representations of non-native speakers with those of natives. We argue that, in some respects, the method yields benefits, while in others it does not serve the interests of research into the nature of second language acquisition and bilingualism. We go on to consider certain analytical approaches that skirt the hazards of the method. The potential payoffs of native/non-native comparisons are illustrated in a priming study of monolingual and bilingual processing of ambiguity in complex French syntax (Gertken 2013).

Lingua, 2011

Language Acquisition, 2014

The present study examines knowledge of the discourse-appropriateness of Clitic Right Dislocation (CLRD) in a population of Heritage (HS) and Spanish-dominant Native Speakers in order to test the predictions of the Interface Hypothesis (IH; Sorace 2011). The IH predicts that speakers in language contact situations will experience difficulties with integrating information involving the interface of syntax and discourse modules. CLRD relates a dislocated constituent to a discourse antecedent, requiring integration of syntax and pragmatics. Results from an acceptability judgment task did not support the predictions of the IH. No statistical differences between the HSs' performance and that of L1-dominant native speakers were evidenced when participants were presented with an offline task. Thus, our study did not find any evidence of "incomplete acquisition" (Montrul 2008) as it pertains to this specific linguistic structure.

Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 2016

This article examines the knowledge of topic and subject particles in heritage speakers and L2 learners of Japanese and Korean. We assume that topic marking is mediated at the syntaxinformation structure interface, while subject marking pertains to narrow syntax. In comparing phenomena mediated at different levels of linguistic organization, we provide evidence for the hypothesis that information structure-level phenomena present greater challenges for bilingual speakers than those mediated within syntax. While these results may be interpreted as evidence of generalized interface-related deficits, we show that such a global explanation is not supported. Instead, a more nuanced account is developed, based on the recognition of different types of topic (anaphoric, generic, and contrastive) and different types of subject (descriptive and exhaustive). Under the proposed account, the non-native speakers' deficits follow from three unrelated effects: the status of topic as an interface category, structural complexity, and the memory demands necessary for its interpretation in context.

BUCLD 35 …, 2011

A recent version of the Interface Hypothesis (e.g., Sorace & Serratrice, 2009) proposes a principled distinction between internal interfaces, those between narrow syntax and other linguistic modules (phonology, morphology, semantics), and external interfaces, those between syntax and other cognitive modules. A primary example of an external interface is the syntax/discourse interface: a major source of difficulty, causing delays as well as indeterminacy of judgments and residual optionality even at near-native levels of acquisition (Belleti, Bennati & Sorace, 2007). However, L2 acquisition findings to date are far from conclusive (Rothman, 2009; Valenzuela, 2005, 2006; Ivanov, 2009). This experimental study looks further into processes at this interface, teasing apart acquisition of syntactic, semantic and discourse knowledge. Lopez (2009) offers a new theoretical model of syntax-information structure interaction, proposing a pragmatic computation module that assembles sentences into Discourse Representation Structures in parallel to the syntactic computation. Topic and Focus are not primitives of the grammar, but descriptive labels. The crucial information structure notion are discourse anaphor and contrast, encoded by the features [±a(naphor)] and [±c(ontrast)] which in combination account for the conditions and effects of dislocation and fronting. In Clitic Left Dislocation (CLLD, ex. 1) or Clitic Right Dislocation (CRLD, ex. 2) the feature [+a] is operative: clitics double an overt argument with an obligatory link to an antecedent. A constituent which moves to the left periphery is marked [+c]: it presents a contrast (ex. 3 vs. 4). Table 1 presents the constructions and their features. Furthermore, CLLD and CRLD are felicitous in slightly different contexts due to differing constraints on the anaphor-antecedent relationship (Villalba, 2000). CLRD requires a relationship of identity between it and the discourse antecedent (ex. 5), while the anaphor-antecedent relationship in CLLD is much freer: it can be subset, superset, part/whole (ex. 6). Keeping in mind all these constraints, the learning tasks for English natives acquiring L2 Spanish involve: 1) syntactic knowledge of clitics; 2) discourse appropriateness of the clitic-doubled dislocations; 3) semantic constraints on the antecedent-dislocate relationship. We created 40 context-test sentences combinations: 10 CLLD as in (5) and 10 CLRD with and without identity between antecedent and dislocate, 5 Fronted Focus and 5 Rheme constructions as in (3) and (4), plus 10 fillers. Each context was followed by a sentence with a clitic and one without a clitic. Context stories and test sentences were presented both aurally and visually. Participants were asked to judge sentences as felicitous or infelicitous in the context of the story, by selecting on a scale of 1 to 4 or “I don’t know.” Syntactic knowledge of clitics was independently ascertained as a condition for inclusion in the overall study via a forced-choice task. Mean acceptance ratings of 20 near-natives and 20 advanced participants indicate that all three types of properties can be successfully acquired. However, there are differences in the acceptability of CLLD and CLRD, since the latter is much less frequent in the input, and not readily accepted by our 21 native speakers (SD>.9). However, the near-native and advanced learners confirmed the research hypothesis that even the semantic difference can be acquired. Implications of these results for the Interface Hypothesis are discussed.

2013

Context: The traditional roles of men and women have changed. *Recently has taken place a revolution in the family. 28) Topicalised object NP + V [AUX] + SUBJ (context favourable to topicalisation) Context: Which of the Thompson sisters shall I invite to the party? *Mary Thompson would I like to meet. 29) Topicalised object NP + V [AUX-do] + SUBJ (context unfavourable to topicalisation) Context: Do you watch television in the evenings? *Ice hockey do I enjoy watching very much.

rom.uga.edu

The current article examines two experimental investigations of the syntax-discourse interface, which address theoretical questions in different ways: the first is an L1 investigation of Galician speakers in Gupton (2010) and the second is a dual investigation of L1 and L2 Spanish reported on in Leal Méndez & Slabakova (2011). These investigations gathered quantitative data via psycholinguistic tasks with accompanying audio utilizing the WebSurveyor platform. They involved counterbalanced designs and were followed by statistical analysis. While acknowledging that experimental data does not have primacy over intuitive data, the authors endorse the use of experimental methods of data elicitation (such as the ones already used in generative SLA research) in theoretical syntax in order to avoid experimenter bias and to get a more complete picture of native speaker intuition and competencies.

Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 2007

This article reports the results of experiments targeting the production and interpretation of postverbal subjects, and null and overt pronominal subjects, by near-native speakers of Italian whose native language is English. The results directly bear on both theoretical issues and developmental acquisition questions. It is argued that properties related to the null-subject parameter are sensitive to discourse factors that determine the use of both postverbal subjects and pronominal subjects. More specifically, it is claimed that the availability of null pronominal subjects and the availability of postverbal subjects do not necessarily correlate. The near-native grammars analyzed here illustrate a special instance of this lack of correlation. Furthermore, near-natives show non-native-like behavior in the use of postverbal subjects, and in the overuse of overt pronominal subjects in tensed clauses. The proposal is put forward that, although resetting of the null-subject parameter has taken place in the speakers' L2 Italian grammar, the relevant L1 computations are preserved and accessed in L2 use, without violating any formal conditions; this is the source of non-target behavior. The analysis proposed exploits cartographic insights on discourse-related computations, and suggests that the principles of economy may be instantiated differently in native and near-native grammars.