Nonnative acquisition of Verb Second: On the empirical underpinnings of universal L2 claims
(2005)- Abstract
- Acquiring Germanic verb second is typically described as difficult for second-language learners. Even speakers of a V2-language (Swedish) learning another V2-language (German) are said not to transfer V2 but to start with a non-V2 grammar, following a universal developmental path of verb placement. The present study contests this claim, documenting early targetlike V2 production for 6 Swedish ab-initio (and 23 intermediate) learners of German, at a time when their interlanguage syntax elsewhere is nontargetlike (head-initial VPs). Learners whose only nonnative language is German never violate V2, indicating transfer of V2-L1 syntax. Informants with previous knowledge of English are less targetlike in their L3-German productions, indicating... (More)
- Acquiring Germanic verb second is typically described as difficult for second-language learners. Even speakers of a V2-language (Swedish) learning another V2-language (German) are said not to transfer V2 but to start with a non-V2 grammar, following a universal developmental path of verb placement. The present study contests this claim, documenting early targetlike V2 production for 6 Swedish ab-initio (and 23 intermediate) learners of German, at a time when their interlanguage syntax elsewhere is nontargetlike (head-initial VPs). Learners whose only nonnative language is German never violate V2, indicating transfer of V2-L1 syntax. Informants with previous knowledge of English are less targetlike in their L3-German productions, indicating interference from non-V2 English. V2 per se is thus not universally difficult for nonnative learners. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/536841
- author
- Bohnacker, Ute LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2005
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- The function of function words and functional categories. LALD 7802, Series Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today
- editor
- den Dikken, Marc and Tortora, Christina
- publisher
- John Benjamins Publishing Company
- ISBN
- 90-272-2802-7
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Swedish (015011001)
- id
- 53c3273f-a8d9-422e-bc73-fdacbacd7948 (old id 536841)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 12:08:45
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 21:09:14
@inbook{53c3273f-a8d9-422e-bc73-fdacbacd7948, abstract = {{Acquiring Germanic verb second is typically described as difficult for second-language learners. Even speakers of a V2-language (Swedish) learning another V2-language (German) are said not to transfer V2 but to start with a non-V2 grammar, following a universal developmental path of verb placement. The present study contests this claim, documenting early targetlike V2 production for 6 Swedish ab-initio (and 23 intermediate) learners of German, at a time when their interlanguage syntax elsewhere is nontargetlike (head-initial VPs). Learners whose only nonnative language is German never violate V2, indicating transfer of V2-L1 syntax. Informants with previous knowledge of English are less targetlike in their L3-German productions, indicating interference from non-V2 English. V2 per se is thus not universally difficult for nonnative learners.}}, author = {{Bohnacker, Ute}}, booktitle = {{The function of function words and functional categories. LALD 7802, Series Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today}}, editor = {{den Dikken, Marc and Tortora, Christina}}, isbn = {{90-272-2802-7}}, language = {{eng}}, publisher = {{John Benjamins Publishing Company}}, title = {{Nonnative acquisition of Verb Second: On the empirical underpinnings of universal L2 claims}}, year = {{2005}}, }