ERIC Number: EJ1004684
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jan
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1366-7289
EISSN: N/A
Syntactic Transfer in English-Speaking Spanish Learners
Morett, Laura M.; Macwhinney, Brian
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, v16 n1 p132-151 Jan 2013
Competition Model studies of second language learners have demonstrated that there is a gradual replacement of first language cues for thematic role assignment by second language cues. The current study introduced two methodological innovations in the investigation of this process. The first was the use of mouse-tracking methodology (Spivey, 2007) to assess the online process of thematic role assignment. The second was the inclusion of both a task with language-specific cues and a task with language-common cues. The results of the language-common cue task indicated that, as English-dominant learners become more balanced between English and Spanish, they rely increasingly on a coalition between the animacy cue and the subject-verb agreement cue. However, the results of the language-specific cue task reveal that learners also rely on the cue of prepositional case marking in Spanish and nominal case marking in English. These results provide evidence of forward transfer, backward transfer, and rapid acquisition of cue-based sentence interpretation strategies in second language learning.
Descriptors: Language Processing, Form Classes (Languages), Second Language Learning, Transfer of Training, Cues, Models, Research Methodology, Innovation, Role, Language Dominance, English, Spanish, Bilingualism, Syntax, Computer Assisted Testing
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
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Audience: N/A
Language: English
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