The Acquisition of Syntax: An Overview and a Case Study of L2 Japanese

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2008
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of Linguistics
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Thesis (B.A.)
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en_US
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Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.
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Abstract
Is it possible to reset our intuitions about sentence structure when learning a new language? Many differences between languages, such as word order differences, are thought to arise from different parameter settings. The questions of whether, to what extent, and how learners of new languages can acquire the parameter settings of the new language are widely debated, with many competing theories advanced. After providing an overview of the Principles, and Parameters framework and its significance in the study of second language acquisition, I outline a Minimalist view of parameters and word order variations. I then turn to theories of second language acquisition, summarizing and discussing competing theories about the initial state, the process of parameter resetting (or lack thereof), and the final state. In the end I argue for a theory that incorporates transfer from the first language and the possibility of parameter resetting in some form. However, the precise process by which parameter resetting may take place in second language acquisition, and the differences from the process of first language acquisition, remain unclear; no falsifiable theory fits all the data convincingly. Finally, I present and analyze my own data collected from students of Japanese at Swarthmore College. I argue that my data shows evidence of first language transfer, as well as the influence of non-linguistic cognitive strategies in second language learning. I suggest some possibilities for future research to begin to address some of the remaining questions. In deepening our understanding of the process of learning new languages, we can both add to and refine our theories of syntax and neurolinguistics, and better equip ourselves to teach language effectively.
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