Proceedings Of The 6th Generative Approaches To Second Language Acquisition Conference Gasla 2002

This proceedings contains 39 of the 53 papers and posters that were presented at the 6th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA), including the plenary talk given by Lisa Travis. The theme of the conference, ?Links to Allied Disciplines", brought together scholars working not only in the field of second language acquisition, but also in the areas of linguistic theory, first languageacquisition, language processing and language impairment.

This volume contains 27 papers presented at the 10th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2009), which was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from March 13-15, 2009. The papers are organized into sections on articles, clitics, interfaces, phonology, processing, semantics/pragmatics, and syntax.

This volume contains 25 papers selected from the 9th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2007), which was held at the University of Iowa on May 18-20, 2007. Subjects covered include telicity, wh-constructions, specificity, the structure of new grammars acquired by adults, and other topics related to L2 acquisition.

This book presents comprehensive and rigorous research on the acquisition of Chinese negation by L1-English and L1-Korean learners within the theoretical framework of the Interface Hypothesis and the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis. The results from grammaticality judgment data (N=182) and learner corpus data (overall scale: 15.19 million characters) reveal multiple factors contributing to the variability in L2 acquisition at the interfaces involved with Chinese negative structures, including L1 influence, the quantity (input frequency) and the quality of the target input (input consistency and regularity), as well as L2 proficiency. These factors also underlie the detectability and reassembly of the [±realis] features encoded with bu and mei, the two primary negation markers in Mandarin Chinese, in different licensing contexts. Task modality (written vs. aural) seems to play a role in L2 learners’ access to explicit and implicit knowledge about Chinese negation, but the effect of task modality is constrained by other factors such as structural/feature complexity, L2 proficiency, and L1-L2 similarity. The approach of employing both elicited experimental data and authentic learner corpus data furnishes new evidence for the acquisition Chinese negation by L2 learners. The findings of this study are of significance to the examination of the Interface Hypothesis and the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis in generative-oriented SLA research.

The first book-length treatment of its type, Ultimate Attainment in Second Language Acquisition is a case study with a solid theoretical grounding that examines the language of an immigrant learner of English, and thereby presents a much needed understanding of the linguistic competence of second language speakers. Based on longitudinal data collected over a period of 16 years, this clear and accessible presentation is well-grounded in linguistic theory and in second language acquisition research issues. Author Donna Lardiere presents the narrative of Patty, an adult Chinese immigrant learner of English, who achieves native-like proficiency in some areas of her English idiolect, although reaches a plateau in her language acquisition, known as the concept of fossilization. By addressing this concept, a central idea in second language acquisition research, Lardiere fills a void in existing literature. Individual chapters focus on Patty’s end state knowledge of grammatical areas of finiteness, past-tense marking, word order, wh-movement and relativization, passivization, number marking, and use of determiners. Important topics discussed throughout the book include: *learner variability in production; *case study methodology; *the roles of motivation and prior language (L1) knowledge; and *sensitivity to input in circumscribing ultimate attainment in adult second language acquisition. Ultimate Attainment in Second Language Acquisition is intended for anyone whose research is in the areas of second language acquisition, language acquisition, theoretical, applied, or developmental linguistics. It is also appropriate for graduate level students of TESOL and teachers who work with more advanced learners of foreign languages.

Exploring the canonical topics in second language acquisition, this book introduces different theoretical perspectives and explores the types of research carried out in the field. Individual chapters have been written so that they can stand alone, giving instructors and students total control over the pace and order of study, and the book is written in an accessible conversational style, inviting engagement with this dynamic topic. Second Language Acquisition: - Surveys key studies in the acquisition of morphology, syntax and phonology - Features a whole chapter dedicated to bilingualism, tying together two closely-linked fields - Examines the role and implications of pedagogy in language teaching contexts - Employs end-of-chapter questions, concept practice and suggestions for further reading to encourage deeper engagement with topic

This volume contains 18 papers selected from the 8th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2006), which was hosted by the University of Calgary. It was held at Alberta's Banff Centre, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, on April 27-30, 2004. The papers address L2 acquisition in speakers of French, English, Chinese, and other languages; the impact of ultrasound technology on L2 acquisition research; and other issues of bilinguality.