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The relationship of form and meaning: A cross-sectional study of tense and aspect in the interlanguage of learners of English as a second language

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig
Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig*
Affiliation:
Indiana University
*
Department of Linguistics, Memorial Hall 313, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
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Abstract

The task of all language learners is to match form and meaning. This study investigates the associations of form and meaning in the developing tense and aspect systems of adult learners of English as a second language. A cross-sectional study of 135 learners at six levels of proficiency was conducted using a cloze passage and compositions on the same topic. The interlanguage tense and aspect systems can be characterized as showing high formal accuracy, but relatively lower appropriate use across all levels. During the period when appropriate use lags behind formal accuracy, learners seem to associate form and meaning through alternative interim hypotheses related to lexical aspect and discourse function.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , July 1992 , pp. 253 - 278
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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