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Is V2 really that hard to acquire for second language learners? On current universalist L2 claims and their empirical underpinnings.

Bohnacker, Ute LU (2004) In Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax 74.
Abstract
This paper investigates the nonnative acquisition of German verb placement on the basis of new, quantified, empirical data from Swedish post-puberty learners. Contrary to existing claims in the literature on the acquisition of V2 languages (here, German), there is no evidence for a universal developmental sequence for verb placement. Rather, non-subject-initial V2 transfers from the L1 grammar (here, Swedish), whether or not there is an intervening non-V2 L2 (here, English). Secondly, and again contrary to claims in the literature, the nonnative acquisition of V2 is not developmentally dependent on target headedness of the VP (here, German OV) being acquisitionally prior. Thirdly, in L3 acquisition, there is – or can be – transfer of... (More)
This paper investigates the nonnative acquisition of German verb placement on the basis of new, quantified, empirical data from Swedish post-puberty learners. Contrary to existing claims in the literature on the acquisition of V2 languages (here, German), there is no evidence for a universal developmental sequence for verb placement. Rather, non-subject-initial V2 transfers from the L1 grammar (here, Swedish), whether or not there is an intervening non-V2 L2 (here, English). Secondly, and again contrary to claims in the literature, the nonnative acquisition of V2 is not developmentally dependent on target headedness of the VP (here, German OV) being acquisitionally prior. Thirdly, in L3 acquisition, there is – or can be – transfer of properties of both L1 syntax (here, V2, VO, from Swedish) and L2 syntax (here, XSV-V3, from English) to L3 German. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
in
Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax
volume
74
pages
34 pages
publisher
Department of Scandinavian Languages, Lund University
ISSN
1100-097X
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
361156dc-c956-453e-9823-51aa4211b7df (old id 536854)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:50:49
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:36:49
@misc{361156dc-c956-453e-9823-51aa4211b7df,
  abstract     = {{This paper investigates the nonnative acquisition of German verb placement on the basis of new, quantified, empirical data from Swedish post-puberty learners. Contrary to existing claims in the literature on the acquisition of V2 languages (here, German), there is no evidence for a universal developmental sequence for verb placement. Rather, non-subject-initial V2 transfers from the L1 grammar (here, Swedish), whether or not there is an intervening non-V2 L2 (here, English). Secondly, and again contrary to claims in the literature, the nonnative acquisition of V2 is not developmentally dependent on target headedness of the VP (here, German OV) being acquisitionally prior. Thirdly, in L3 acquisition, there is – or can be – transfer of properties of both L1 syntax (here, V2, VO, from Swedish) and L2 syntax (here, XSV-V3, from English) to L3 German.}},
  author       = {{Bohnacker, Ute}},
  issn         = {{1100-097X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  publisher    = {{Department of Scandinavian Languages, Lund University}},
  series       = {{Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax}},
  title        = {{Is V2 really that hard to acquire for second language learners? On current universalist L2 claims and their empirical underpinnings.}},
  volume       = {{74}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}