Telicity in the Second LanguageThe author combines a syntax-theoretical treatment of telicity marking and an empirical study of the second language acquisition of English telicity marking by native speakers of Bulgarian, a Slavic language. It is argued that Vendler's lexical classes of verbs (states, activities, accomplishments and achievements) can be represented in four phrase structure templates, where lexical properties of the verb and of the object compositionally determine telicity. A parameterized distinction between English and Slavic aspect is proposed. The book addresses two major acquisition issues: (1) what is the nature of the initial hypothesis Bulgarian learners of English entertain regarding telicity marking (i.e., is there native language transfer)? (2) are adult learners capable of resetting the telicity marking parameter? Both L1 transfer and parameter resetting are experimentally supported. In addition, the study investigates the L2 acquisition of a cluster of complex predicate constructions, purportedly related to the telicity parameter in the grammatical competence and in child language acquisition of English. |
Contents
CHAPTER | 14 |
Semantic and syntactic treatments of telicity | 21 |
CHAPTER 3 | 62 |
CHAPTER 4 | 103 |
An experimental study of the L2 acquisition of telicity | 143 |
Discussion implications and conclusion | 173 |
Appendix | 199 |
215 | |
231 | |
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Common terms and phrases
access to UG accomplishment achievements acquired activity verbs Advanced adverbials analysis apples argues aspectual classes aspectual interpretation AspP atelic sentences Bulgarian c-command cake Chapter Claire clitic cloze cluster cognitive complex predicate condition dative denotes distinction encode example feature functional category G U G grammar High Int High Intermediate hypothesis imperfective inflections interlanguage internal argument John L2 acquisition L2 learners lexical lexical aspect lexical categories linguistic Low Int markers Mary meaning morphology native speakers null subject null telic morpheme overt parameter values Particles past tense perfective aspect perfective preverbs pheme phrase structure position Preterite preverbs proposed related constructions second language acquisition semantic Shirai situation aspect Slavic languages Snyder Spanish specified cardinality stative stative verbs sub-event syntactic syntax Table telic and atelic template theory theta roles tion Travis ungrammatical Universal Grammar University Verb-Particle verbal Verkuyl