LINGUIST List 22.3965 Tue Oct 11 2011 Diss: Lang Acq: Pozzan: 'Asking Questions in Learner English: First...' Editor for this issue: Xiyan Wang <xiyanlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Lucia Pozzan , Asking Questions in Learner English: First and second language acquisition of main and embedded interrogative structures Message 1: Asking Questions in Learner English: First and second language acquisition of main and embedded interrogative structures Date: 23-Sep-2011 From: Lucia Pozzan <lpozzansas.upenn.edu> Subject: Asking Questions in Learner English: First and second language acquisition of main and embedded interrogative structures E-mail this message to a friend Institution: City University of New York Program: Linguistics Program Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2011 Author: Lucia Pozzan Dissertation Title: Asking Questions in Learner English: First and second language acquisition of main and embedded interrogative structures Dissertation URL: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~lpozzan/Publications/Asking%20Questions%20In%20Learner%20English.pdf Linguistic Field(s): Language Acquisition Dissertation Director: Virginia v Valian Eva M. Fernández Martin Chodorow Janet Dean Fodor Dissertation Abstract: This dissertation examines how adults and children learning English produce and judge English interrogative structures. The ultimate goal of this study is to contribute to an understanding of the extent, nature and sources of learners' persistent difficulties with some syntactic properties of the language they are acquiring. To examine whether word order errors in the production of English interrogatives by L2 learners stem from lack of knowledge or from difficulties with automatic implementation of L2 procedures under real-time constraints, L2 learners' performance across a range of tasks (oral and written production, timed and untimed grammaticality judgments) is compared. To examine whether errors in the production of English interrogatives by L2 learners can be imputed to transfer of L1 properties, L1 Chinese and L1 Spanish learners' production patterns are compared. Finally, to examine whether errors in the production of L1 learners can be attributed to properties of the adult input, the results from an elicited production study with 3-5 year olds are examined in light of the frequency of different word combinations in the adult input. Taken together, the results of the present studies indicate that difficulties with English interrogative structures (a) are a consistent phenomenon both in L1 and L2 acquisition, (b) might be better accounted for in terms of non-target-like representations rather than difficulties with implementation of L2 procedures, and (c) do not follow in a direct way from properties of the learners' L1s or properties of the input. Furthermore, the results of the present studies show that learners' errors are associated with specific syntactic configurations (wh- vs. yes/no structures) and wh-words (why and when vs. who, what, and where), suggesting that child and adult learners entertain similar grammatical hypotheses and make use of similar mechanisms for language acquisition. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 11-Oct-2011       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.