LINGUIST List 21.5167 Mon Dec 20 2010 Diss: Psycholing/Syntax: Pliatsikas: 'Grammatical Processing in ...' Editor for this issue: Mfon Udoinyang <mfonlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Christos Pliatsikas , Grammatical Processing in Second Language Learners of English Message 1: Grammatical Processing in Second Language Learners of English Date: 16-Dec-2010 From: Christos Pliatsikas <c.pliatsikasreading.ac.uk> Subject: Grammatical Processing in Second Language Learners of English E-mail this message to a friend Institution: University of Reading Program: School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2010 Author: Christos Pliatsikas Dissertation Title: Grammatical Processing in Second Language Learners of English Linguistic Field(s): Psycholinguistics                             Syntax Dissertation Director: Tom Johnstone Theodoror Marinis Laurie Butler Dissertation Abstract: This thesis examines grammatical processing by second language (L2) learners of English, and more specifically, whether or not L2 processing is similar, or can become similar, to native (L1) processing. It has been suggested (Clahsen and Felser, 2006b) that only specific grammatical phenomena in L2 are successfully processed by L2 learners; for those phenomena that are not, L2 learners compensate with different processing strategies. Additionally, Ullman (2004) suggested that advanced L2 proficiency and extensive exposure to an L2-speaking environment can result in a shift to more native-like processing, accompanied by a shift in the recruited brain areas. However, brain activity for L2 grammatical processing is currently understudied. To investigate these suggestions, this thesis examined processing of two grammatical phenomena in English: a morphological, past tense inflection, and a syntactic, postulation of intermediate traces in long-distance wh-dependencies. Four behavioural experiments (masked priming, self-paced reading) included two groups of advanced late Greek-English L2 learners, with and without naturalistic exposure to English, and native English speakers. Two subsequent fMRI experiments tested native speakers and L2 learners with naturalistic exposure on the same tasks. For past tense processing, the results suggested that L2 learners are native-like in processing regular and irregular forms according to a dual route; additionally, naturalistic exposure was not important. Neuroimaging findings revealed an extensive network for L1 processing of regular inflection, but no effects for L2 learners. Conversely, neither of the L2 groups gave evidence of processing intermediate wh-traces, as native speakers did; instead, L2 learners based their processing on lexical-semantic information of the sentence. This was also confirmed by the neuroimaging findings. This thesis confirms that L2 learners can process some 'shallow' structures of L2 grammar, like regular inflection, but 'deeper' structures, like intermediate traces of wh-movement, are not accessible even by L2 learners with substantial naturalistic L2 exposure. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 20-Dec-2010       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.