Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition Conference 2005,. (pp. 591-6). ... specificity (Samoan), and that this is a function of a UG-determined 'article.
Snape, N. (2006). L2 acquisition of definiteness and specificity in English by advanced Japanese and Spanish learners. In A. Belletti, E. Bennati, C. Chesi, E. Di Domenico and I. Ferrari (eds.), Language Acquisition and Development. Proceedings of the Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition Conference 2005, (pp. 591-6). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press/CSP
L2 ACQUISITION OF DEFINITENESS AND SPECIFICITY IN ENGLISH BY ADVANCED JAPANESE AND SPANISH LEARNERS NEAL SNAPE∗ Abstract Ionin (2003) has claimed that languages with a two-article system (like English the/a) either use articles to mark definiteness (English) or to mark specificity (Samoan), and that this is a function of a UG-determined ‘article choice parameter’. The present study addresses the proposal of an article choice parameter by comparing learners of English whose L1 is Japanese (article-less) and Spanish (which has definiteness-marking articles). Additionally, it examines article choice in two different nominal contexts: with count singular and plural NPs. Fluctuation in the choice of the/a by the Japanese speakers is expected in indefinite specific count NP contexts (singular and plural) and in the case of the Spanish speakers, fluctuation between the/a is not expected due to L1 transfer effects.
1. Introduction A recent approach to article classification has been offered by Ionin & Wexler (2003) using the definiteness and specificity distinction. They suggest that there is an article choice parameter determining the distribution of articles and claim that L2 learners from articleless languages fluctuate between
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definiteness and specificity when they are learning an L2 that has the features [+definite] and [+specific]. My study investigates the use of articles in count singular and plural contexts by advanced Japanese and Spanish L2 learners of English.
2. The Article Choice Parameter (ACP) Ionin (2003) claims that there are two settings of ACP where a language, which has two articles, will have one value or the other: (1)
Setting I. Articles are distinguished on the basis of specificity Setting II. Articles are distinguished on the basis of definiteness
(taken from Ionin 2003, p.85) Ionin’s informal definition of definiteness and specificity is in (2): (2)
Definiteness and Specificity If a Determiner Phrase (DP) of the form [D NP] is… (a) [+definite], then the speaker and hearer presuppose the existence of a unique individual in the set denoted by the NP (b) [+specific], then the speaker intends to refer to a unique individual in the set denoted by the NP, and considers this individual to possess some noteworthy property
According to Ionin the features [+definite] and [+specific] are discourserelated. The crucial difference between the two features is that [+definite] is a shared state of knowledge between speaker and hearer and [+specific] is knowledge only held by the speaker. Their proposal of specificity in (1b) is based Fodor and Sag (1982), who claim that relative clause (RC)-modification biases an indefinite in favour of the specific reading: (3)
A: Kylie went to Tim’s party B: Did she have fun? A: She met a man who I know at school.
Ionin & Wexler tested subjects from languages without articles – 30 L1 Russian speakers and 40 L1 Korean speakers who are all intermediate and advanced L2 learners of English. It is predicted that L2 learners of English without articles in their L1’s will fluctuate between the two settings under the ACP in the absence of L1 transfer effects. Ionin suggests that L2 learners may adopt neither the L1
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nor the L2 parameter settings, but a possible setting from some third language i.e. Samoan. The Fluctuation Hypothesis is formulated by Ionin (2003) in (4): (4)
The Fluctuation Hypothesis (FH) for L2-English article choice: (1) L2 learners have full UG access to the two settings of the Article Choice Parameter (2) L2 learners fluctuate between the two settings of the Article Choice Parameter until the input leads them to set this parameter to the appropriate value
(taken from Ionin 2003, p.86) My study differs to Ionin & Wexler (2003) because one group is Japanese (a language without an article system) and the other group is Spanish (a language with an article system). I assume that the Japanese L2 learners, like Ionin’s Russian and Korean L2 learners, may adopt a setting from a third language owing to the absence of L1 transfer effects. I predict that the Spanish L2 learners will behave differently to the Japanese because of L1 transfer effects in that the Spanish will not fluctuate between the features [+definite] and [+specific] because Spanish, like English, has articles for marking [±definite]. The Japanese L2 learners may still fluctuate in indefinite specific contexts because they associate the as a [+specific] marker.
3. Empirical Study: Forced-choice elicitation task The test consisted of 92 short dialogues in total. The participants were asked to read the short dialogues where there are four possible items that could fill a gap. They were asked to choose the item that they felt was most appropriate to fill the gap and put a circle around it. RC-modification was used to force an indefinite specific reading for singular and plural contexts, as in Ionin & Wexler (2003). There were four short dialogues for each context and the contexts were randomised.
3.1 Research Hypothesis H1
Japanese L2 learners tend to overuse the in indefinite specific singular and plural contexts as they fail to set the Article Choice Parameter and associate the with specificity.
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3.2 The participants The participants in our study were 13 advanced Japanese L2 learners of English, 13 advanced Spanish L2 learners of English and 13 native control speakers. Even though all the participants have taken TOEFL and have scores equivalent of 575 or above, they were asked to take the Oxford Quick Placement Test in order to obtain their current proficiency level.
3.3 Results The native control speakers (NS) performed as expected in each context with 90% or above accuracy rates. Table 1 shows the results of one-way ANOVAs with post-hoc Tukey HSD tests. Table 1. Use of articles by Japanese and Spanish advanced groups use of the use of a use of Ø definite specific F = 2.591 singular indefinite specific F = 8.237** singular indefinite specific F = 10.377*** plural *p
