Syntax Matters: Exploring the Effect of Linguistic Similarity in Third Language Acquisition
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https://hdl.handle.net/10037/27637Date
2022-10-06Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Over the last two decades, the question of to which linguistic cues learners
pay attention when they decode a new language has been subject to controversy in the
field of third language (L3) acquisition. In this article, we present an artificial language
learning experiment that investigated how lexical and syntactic similarities between
an artificial L3 and preexisting grammars impact crosslinguistic influence at the very
beginning of the acquisition process. We exposed four groups of 30 Norwegian–English
bilinguals each to one of four L3s and gave them training in that L3. The participants
gave forced-choice acceptability judgments on pairs of nonsubject-initial declarative
clauses that differed in word order, one grammatical in English, the other grammatical
in Norwegian. The participants had not been exposed to nonsubject-initial declaratives
during the exposure and training phases to avoid confounds with learning. The results
showed that both lexical and syntactic similarities affect crosslinguistic influence. We
discuss this result considering contemporary accounts of L3 acquisition.
Publisher
WileyCitation
Jensen IN, Westergaard M. Syntax Matters: Exploring the Effect of Linguistic Similarity in Third Language Acquisition. Language Learning. 2022:1-29Metadata
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