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The syntax–discourse interface in near-native L2 acquisition: Off-line and on-line performance*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2009

HOLGER HOPP
HOLGER HOPP*
Affiliation:
University of Mannheim
*
Address for correspondence: English Linguistics, University of Mannheim, Schloss EW 266, 68131 Mannheim, Germany[email protected]
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Abstract

This study investigates ultimate attainment at the syntax–discourse interface in adult second-language (L2) acquisition. In total, 91 L1 (first-language) English, L1 Dutch and L1 Russian advanced-to-near-native speakers of German and 63 native controls are tested on an acceptability judgement task and an on-line self-paced reading task. These centre on discourse-related word order optionality in German. Results indicate that convergence at the syntax–discourse interface is in principle possible in adult L2 acquisition, both in off-line knowledge and on-line processing, even for L1 English speakers, whose L1 does not correspond to L2 German in discourse-to-syntax mappings. At the same time, non-convergence of the L1 Dutch groups and differences in the L2 groups' performance between tasks suggest that asymmetries in L1–L2 discourse configurations and computational difficulties in mapping discourse onto syntax constrain L2 performance.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , October 2009 , pp. 463 - 483
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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Footnotes

*

I am grateful to Kees de Bot, Carrie Jackson, Bonnie D. Schwartz, Antonella Sorace and Laurie Stowe, the audiences at GALANA II (Montreal) and EUROSLA 17 (Newcastle) as well as three anonymous BLC reviewers for helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper. All remaining errors are my responsibility.

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