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Formal Linguistic Approaches to L3/Ln Acquisition: A Focus on Morphosyntactic Transfer in Adult Multilingualism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2013

Jason Rothman  and
Becky Halloran
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Abstract

The goal of this article is to introduce the reader to contemporary adult multilingual acquisition research within generative linguistics. In much the same way as monolingual and bilingual acquisition studies are approached within this paradigm, generative multilingual research focuses primarily on the psycholinguistic and cognitive aspects of the acquisition process. Herein, we critically present a panoramic view of the research questions and empirical work that have dominated this nascent field, taking the reader through several interrelated epistemological discussions that are at the vanguard of contemporary multilingual morphosyntax work. We finish this article with some thoughts looking towards the near future of adult multilingual acquisition studies.

Type
SECTION B: INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETAL MULTILINGUALISM
Information
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , Volume 33 , March 2013 , pp. 51 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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References

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cenoz, J., Hufeisen, B., & Jessner, U. (Eds.). (2001). Cross-linguistic influence in third language acquisition: Psycholinguistic perspectives. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

This volume addresses cross-linguistic influence in third language acquisition from a psycholinguistic perspective, focusing on the role of all previously acquired languages and how the established L1 and L2 systems interact with and affect L3 acquisition. Research within this volume considered factors previously found to contribute to cross-linguistic influence in SLA and investigated them in an L3 context, in some cases with preliminary data and in some cases with previous published work. As a whole, it serves to generate discussion of L3/Ln acquisition from a psycholinguistic perspective and provides ample possibilities for further research in this area.

García Mayo, M., & Rothman, J. (2012). L3 Morphosyntax in the generative tradition: the initial stages and beyond. In Cabrelli Amaro, J., Flynn, S., & Rothman, J. (Eds.), Third language acquisition in adulthood (pp. 9–32). Amsterdam, the Netherlands: John Benjamins.

This chapter introduces in detail third language (L3) morphosyntactic acquisition research from a generative perspective. The authors began by introducing generative linguistic theory and its historical application to L1 and L2 acquisition and provide justification for the treatment of L3/Ln learners as an independent case rather than another instance of SLA. They presented a selection of valuable empirical studies done on L3 morphosyntactic acquisition in recent years, and finally discussed how the study of L3 acquisition is beneficial in terms of answering important empirical questions related to generative acquisition theory.

Hammarberg, B. (2010). (Ed.) Processes in third language acquisition. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburg University Press.

This book is a collection of previously published articles featuring case studies of adult multilingual acquisition. The data used comes from a longitudinal corpus of data of nonnative and native speakers who acquired second and third languages through social interaction. It provides a comprehensive look at a series of linguistic phenomena, including patterns and functions of language switching, word search in interaction, hypothetical word construction, and articulatory settings in speech. These phenomena are examined from a cognitive perspective in relation to current models of the speaking process.

Leung, Y.-K. I. (2009). Third language acquisition and Universal Grammar. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

This book is composed of nine chapters on adult L3/Ln acquisition from the UG perspective and includes empirical studies carried out in North America, Europe, and Asia, with a wide range of language pairings. It is a comprehensive assessment of the research agenda of the time, discussing how L3 acquisition poses new theoretical questions, and also making important connections between bilingualism/multilingualism and SLA.

Rothman, J., Cabrelli Amaro, J., & de Bot, K. (2013). Third language (L3) acquisition. In Herschensohn, J. & Young-Scholten, M. (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of second language acquisition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

This article provides an overview of the fields of L3 acquisition, covering educational, cognitive/processing, formal, and sociolinguistic research done on L3/Ln acquisition over the past few decades with a special emphasis on work within the last decade in particular. In addition to concisely covering the main trends of research, it highlights the contributions multilingual research has made beyond the study of L3/Ln acquisition alone. It also discusses epistemological issues of significant importance to all multilingual researchers; for example, the need for independent proficiency measures for multilingualism as well as the criteria used for inclusion and exclusion for empirical multilingual studies. Finally, it discusses future directions the authors feel the field will and/or should take.

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