Acquisition of Article Semantics by Child and Adult L2-English Learners

Autor/inn/en	Ionin, Tania; Zubizarreta, Maria Luisa; Philippov, Vadim
Titel	Acquisition of Article Semantics by Child and Adult L2-English Learners
Quelle	In: Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 12 (2009) 3, S.337-361 (25 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1366-7289
DOI	10.1017/S1366728909990149
Schlagwörter	Semantics; Adults; Second Language Learning; Adult Learning; Adult Students; Russian; English (Second Language); Language Universals; Language Acquisition; Form Classes (Languages); Children; Learning Strategies + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Semantik; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Adulte education; Adult training; Erwachsenenbildung; Adult; Adults; Student; Students; Erwachsenenalter; Studentin; Schüler; Schülerin; Russisch; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Analytischer Sprachbau; Child; Kind; Kinder; Learning methode; Learning techniques; Lernmethode; Lernstrategie
Abstract	This paper examines article use in the L2-English of adult and child speakers of Russian, an article-less language. In earlier work on articles in adult L2-English, Ionin, Ko and Wexler (2004) proposed that speakers of article-less L1s fluctuate between dividing English articles on the basis of definiteness vs. specificity, as a result of direct access to semantic universals. The present paper examines whether similar fluctuation is present for child L2-English learners. Results of an elicitation study with L1-Russian child and adult learners of English show that both groups of learners exhibit sensitivity to definiteness as well as specificity. At the same time, it is found that the behavior of child L2-learners is more consistent with natural language data than that of adult L2-learners. It is proposed that both children and adults have domain-specific knowledge of semantic universals, but that adults, unlike children, also use explicit strategies. This proposal is considered in light of the literature on explicit vs. implicit knowledge. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10