刊讯｜SSCI 期刊《第二语言研究》2022年第3-4期

SECOND LANGUAGE RESEARCH

Volume 38, Issue 3, July 2022

SECOND LANGUAGE RESEARCH （SSCI一区，2020 IF：2.889）2022年第3-4期共刊文23篇。2022年第3期共发文12篇，其中研究性论文10篇，研究简报1篇，综述性论文1篇。研究论文涉及听觉加工、元音识别、搭配在口语能力中的作用、正字法等方面。第4期共发文11篇，其中研究性论文10篇，综述性论文1篇。研究论文涉及预设、语言转换、继承语理解、语音特征、在线语料库等。（2022年已更完）

往期推荐：

刊讯｜SSCI 期刊《第二语言研究》 2022年第2期

刊讯｜SSCI 期刊 《第二语言研究》2022年第1期

第3期目录

ARTICLES

■ Cue coalitions and additivity in predictive processing: The interaction between case and prosody in L2 German, by Nick Henry, Carrie N Jackson, Holger Hopp, Pages 397–422.

■ Variation in loanword adaptation: A case from Mandarin Chinese, by Yangyu Chen, Yu-An Lu, Pages 423–447.

■ Identification of English vowels by non-native listeners: Effects of listeners’ experience of the target dialect and talkers’ language background, by Shinsook Lee, Jaekoo Kang, Hosung Nam, Pages 449–475.

■ Successful second language pronunciation learning is linked to domain-general auditory processing rather than music aptitude, by Chaoqun Zheng, Kazuya Saito, Adam Tierney, Pages 477–497.

■ Acquisition of Japanese relative clauses by L1 Chinese learners: Evidence from reflexive pronoun resolution, by Yunchuan Chen, Pages 499–529.

■ Roles of collocation in L2 oral proficiency revisited: Different tasks, L1 vs. L2 raters, and cross-sectional vs. longitudinal analyses, by Kazuya Saito, Yuwei Liu, Pages 531–554.

■ Acquisition of the nominal case system in Russian as a second language, by Natalia Cherepovskaia, Natalia Slioussar, Anna Denissenko Denissenko, Pages 555–580.

■ On the relationship between perception and production of L2 sounds: Evidence from Anglophones’ processing of the French /u/–/y/ contrast, by Gerda Ana Melnik-Leroy, Rory Turnbull, Sharon Peperkamp, Pages 581–605.

■ Does explicit instruction affect L2 linguistic competence? An examination with L2 acquisition of English inverse scope, by Mien-Jen Wu, Tania Ionin, Pages 607–637.

■ The effects of information structure in the processing of word order variation in the second language, by Priscila López-Beltrán, Michael A Johns, Paola E Dussias, Cristóbal Lozano, Alfonso Palma, Pages 639–670.

RESEARCH NOTE

■ Orthographic activation in spoken word recognition of L2 phonological variants, by Jeong-Im Han, Song Yi Kim, Pages 671–688.

REVIEW ARTICLE

■ Cratylus’ silence: On the philosophy and methodology of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory in SLA, by Gabriele Pallotti, Pages 689–701.

第3期摘要

Cue coalitions and additivity in predictive processing: The interaction between case and prosody in L2 German

Nick Henry, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

Carrie N Jackson, Pennsylvania State University, USA

Holger Hopp, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany

Abstract This article explores how multiple linguistic cues interact in predictive processing among second language (L2) learners. In a visual-world eye-tracking experiment, we investigated whether learners of German use case and prosody cues together to assign thematic roles and predict post-verbal arguments. During the experiment, participants listened to subject-first and object-first sentences that contained (1) case cues only, or (2) both case and prosody. The results showed that the learners successfully predicted post-verbal arguments on the basis of lexical-semantic information but were less successful in using case cues. However, prediction success increased when both case and prosody were present, suggesting that predictive processing is supported by prosodic cues. Additionally, results show that higher proficiency was associated with faster processing and a greater ability to generate predictions. We conclude that the presence of cue coalitions allows L2 learners to process information more efficiently, and that the L2 processor can exploit the additive use of cues for prediction.

Key words case, eye-tracking, German, morphology, prediction, proficiency, prosody, sentence processing, visual-world paradigm

Variation in loanword adaptation: A case from Mandarin Chinese

Yangyu Chen, Yu-An Lu, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

Abstract Mandarin speakers tend to adapt intervocalic nasals as either an onset of the following syllable (e.g. Bruno → bù.lŭ.nuò), as a nasal geminate (e.g. Daniel → dān.ní.ěr), or as one of the above forms (e.g. Tiffany → dì.fú.ní or dì.fēn.ní). Huang and Lin (2013, 2016) identified two factors that may induce the nasal gemination repair: (1) when stress falls on the pre-nasal vowel and (2) when the pre-nasal vowel is a non-high lax vowel. They hypothesized that Mandarin Chinese speakers insert a nasal coda to perceptually approximate the stronger nasalization and longer syllable duration associated with the stressed syllables, and the shorter vowel duration of a lax vowel because the vowels in closed syllables are shorter in Mandarin. The results from two forced-choice identification experiments and an open-ended transcription task showed that although Mandarin speakers’ choices of different repairs were indeed biased by the different phonetic manipulations, suggesting an effect of perceptual similarity, their decisions were mainly guided by native phonotactics. The overall findings suggest that phonotactic, phonetic, as well as non-linguistic (i.e. frequency) factors interact with each other, resulting in the variable adaptation pattern.

Key words English, frequency, loanword adaptation, Mandarin Chinese, nasal geminate, perceptual similarity, phonotactics, variation

Identification of English vowels by non-native listeners: Effects of listeners’ experience of the target dialect and talkers’ language background

Shinsook Lee, Korea University, South Korea

Jaekoo Kang, City University of New York, USA

Hosung Nam, Korea University, South Korea; Haskins Laboratories, USA

Abstract This study investigates how second language (L2) listeners’ perception is affected by two factors: the listeners’ experience with the target dialect – North American English (NAE) vs. Standard Southern British English (SSBE) – and talkers’ language background: native vs. non-native talkers; i.e. interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit (ISIB) talker effects. Two groups of native-Korean-speaking listeners with different target English dialects – L1-Korean listeners of English as a second language (ESL) in the USA and L1-Korean ESL listeners in the UK – were tested on the identification of 12 English vowels spoken by native and non-native (L1-Korean) talkers of NAE and SSBE. The results show that the L2 listeners’ experience with the target dialect had a significant impact on the accuracy of their identification of the L2 vowels. However, no ISIB-talker effects were observed for the L1-Korean listener groups regardless of the listeners’ differences in experience with the two varieties of English. The study adds to the L2 sound acquisition literature and the ISIB literature by looking into L2 learners’ identification of L2 vowels, taking into account the learners’ differences in experience with two standard varieties of English (NAE and SSBE) and the interaction between the learners’ experience with the two varieties and ISIB-talker effects. It also sheds some light on the issue of adult L2 learners’ ability to learn the vowels of a new target variety.

Key words English vowel identification, L2 listener, talker effect, target dialect

Successful second language pronunciation learning is linked to domain-general auditory processing rather than music aptitude

Chaoqun Zheng, Institute of Logistics Science and Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, P.R. China

Kazuya Saito, University College London, London, UK

Adam Tierney, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

Abstract Whereas a growing amount of attention has been directed to the role of perceptual-cognitive aptitude in successful second language (L2) lexicogrammar learning, scholars have begun to investigate the same topic in the context of L2 pronunciation learning. To date, there is ongoing discussion on the mechanism underlying L2 speech learning in relation to music aptitude and domain-general auditory processing ability. Situated within 48 moderately experienced Chinese learners of English in the UK (length of residence = one year), the current study examined the relationship between music aptitude, auditory perception, and L2 pronunciation proficiency. Results revealed that music aptitude and auditory processing were partially overlapping, whereas both abilities were independent of participants’ past and current L2 language learning experience. Whereas individual differences in auditory processing demonstrated significant associations with various dimensions of L2 pronunciation proficiency, music aptitude was only weakly predictive of prosodic aspects of L2 pronunciation proficiency. Comparatively, none of the experience variables were related to acquisition within the current dataset.

Key words aptitude, auditory processing, immersion, music, second language pronunciation

Acquisition of Japanese relative clauses by L1 Chinese learners: Evidence from reflexive pronoun resolution

Abstract This article investigates whether first-language (L1) Chinese-speaking learners of Japanese as a second language (L2) can acquire the knowledge that the reflexive pronoun jibun ‘self’ within the head noun phrase of Japanese relative clauses cannot refer to the relative clause subject. Successful acquisition would suggest that learners are able to acquire the underlying syntactic knowledge that the head noun phrase of Japanese relative clauses is base-generated external to the relative clause. A truth value judgment experiment was conducted and the findings suggest that L1 Chinese learners can indeed acquire the target syntactic knowledge in Japanese relative clauses, which argues against the Representational Deficit hypotheses and supports the Full Functional Representation hypotheses of L2 acquisition.

Key words Chinese, Japanese, reflexive pronoun, relative clauses

Roles of collocation in L2 oral proficiency revisited: Different tasks, L1 vs. L2 raters, and cross-sectional vs. longitudinal analyses

Kazuya Saito, Yuwei Liu, University College London, UK

Abstract There is emerging evidence that collocation use plays a primary role in determining various dimensions of L2 oral proficiency assessment and development. The current study presents the results of three experiments which examined the relationship between the degree of association in collocation use (operationalized as t scores and mutual information scores) and the intuitive judgements of L2 comprehensibility (i.e. ease of understanding). The topic was approached from the angles of different task conditions (Study 1), rater background (first language or L1 vs. second language or L2) (Study 2) and cross-sectional vs. longitudinal analyses (Study 3). The findings showed that: (1) collocation emerged as a medium-to-strong determinant of L2 comprehensibility in structured (picture description) compared to free (oral interview) oral production tasks; (2) with sufficient immersion experience, L2 raters can demonstrate as much sensitivity to collocation as L1 raters; and (3) conversational experience is associated with more coherent and mutually-exclusive combinations of words in L2 speech, resulting in greater L2 comprehensibility development.

Key words collocation, comprehensibility, pronunciation, speech, vocabulary

Acquisition of the nominal case system in Russian as a second language

Natalia Cherepovskaia, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

Natalia Slioussar, Higher School of Economics; Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia

Anna Denissenko Denissenko, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

Abstract Using written texts elicited from students with different proficiency levels, we studied the acquisition of nominal cases in Russian as a second language. We established the order in which cases were acquired (nominative, locative, accusative, genitive, instrumental, and dative), as well as certain characteristics of their acquisition trajectories. We argue that the order of acquisition is determined by two groups of factors: how essential a given case is for successful language use and how complex it is, both semantically and morphologically. Many important differences between first and second language acquisition were identified. The maturation of the case system was observed both in the number of correct forms participants produced and in error rates. The distribution of correct forms changed, gradually approaching that found for native speakers. With growth in proficiency, the incidence of different error types declined, and the relative frequency of errors more characteristic of first language acquisition increased.

Key words nominal case, order of acquisition, Russian, second language acquisition

On the relationship between perception and production of L2 sounds: Evidence from Anglophones’ processing of the French /u/–/y/ contrast

Gerda Ana Melnik-Leroy, LSCP, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, France; Institute of Data Science and Digital Technologies, Vilnius University, Lithuania

Rory Turnbull, LSCP, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, France; School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Newcastle University, UK

Sharon Peperkamp, LSCP, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, France

Abstract Previous studies have yielded contradictory results on the relationship between perception and production in second language (L2) phonological processing. We re-examine the relationship between the two modalities both within and across processing levels, addressing several issues regarding methodology and statistical analyses. We focus on the perception and production of the French contrast /u/–/y/ by proficient English-speaking late learners of French. In an experiment with a prelexical perception task (ABX discrimination) and both a prelexical and a lexical production task (pseudoword reading and picture naming), we observe a robust link between perception and production within but not across levels. Moreover, using a clustering analysis we provide evidence that good perception is a prerequisite for good production.

Key words second language acquisition, speech perception, speech production, vowels

Does explicit instruction affect L2 linguistic competence? An examination with L2 acquisition of English inverse scope

Mien-Jen Wu, Tania Ionin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Abstract This article investigates whether explicit instruction can affect second language (L2) competence in the domain of English quantifier scope. An intervention study was conducted with L1-Mandarin L2-English learners in order to examine (1) whether these learners can learn inverse scope for the structure on which they are instructed (double-quantifier configuration: A dog scared every man; quantifier-negation configuration: Every sheep did not jump over the fence); (2) whether they can correctly generalize availability of inverse scope from the configuration on which they are instructed to one on which they are not instructed; and (3) whether learners overgeneralize inverse scope to a superficially similar configuration that does not allow inverse scope. Following Schwartz (1993), generalization is taken to be a hallmark of true acquisition (= changes to linguistic competence) as opposed to learning. The results show that learners successfully learn inverse scope for the configuration on which they are instructed, but do not generalize availability of inverse scope to the other configuration. Moreover, learners instructed on double-quantifier configurations overgeneralize availability of inverse scope to island configurations such as There is one dog which scared every man. The findings indicate that in this domain, explicit instruction does not affect linguistic competence.

Key words explicit instruction, scope, second language acquisition

The effects of information structure in the processing of word order variation in the second language

Priscila López-Beltrán, The Pennsylvania State University, USA

Michael A Johns, University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security, USA

Paola E Dussias, The Pennsylvania State University, USA

Cristóbal Lozano, Universidad de Granada, Spain

Alfonso Palma, Universidad de Granada, Spain

Abstract Traditionally, it has been claimed that the non-canonical word order of passives makes them inherently more difficult to comprehend than their canonical active counterparts both in the first (L1) and second language (L2). However, growing evidence suggests that non-canonical word orders are not inherently more difficult to process than canonical counterparts when presented with discourse contexts that license their information structure constraints. In an eye-tracking experiment, we investigated the effect of information structure on the online processing of active and passive constructions and whether this effect differed in monolinguals and L1-Spanish–L2-English speakers. In line with previous corpus studies, our results indicated that there was an interaction between word order and information structure according to which passive sentences were much more costly to process with new–given information structure patterns. Crucially, we failed to find evidence that the effect of information structure on word order constraints in comprehension differed between monolingual and L2 speakers.

Key words eyetracking, information structure, passive, psycholinguistics, second language, word order

Orthographic activation in spoken word recognition of L2 phonological variants

Jeong-Im Han, Song Yi Kim, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea; Konkuk University, South Korea

Abstract The present study investigated the influence of orthographic input on the recognition of second language (L2) spoken words with phonological variants, when first language (L1) and L2 have different orthographic structures. Lexical encoding for intermediate-to-advanced level Mandarin learners of Korean was assessed using masked cross-modal and within-modal priming tasks. Given that Korean has obstruent nasalization in the syllable coda, prime target pairs were created with and without such phonological variants, but spellings that were provided in the cross-modal task reflected their unaltered, nonnasalized forms. The results indicate that when L2 learners are exposed to transparent alphabetic orthography, they do not show a particular cost for spoken word recognition of L2 phonological variants as long as the variation is regular and rule-governed.

Key words xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx

cross-modal priming, L1-Mandarin L2-Korean, orthography, phonological variants

Cratylus’ silence: On the philosophy and methodology of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory in SLA

Gabriele Pallotti, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy

Abstract Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) has received considerable attention over the last decades, inspiring a number of second language acquisition studies. This article examines the research from a critical epistemological point of view, starting from the Greek philosopher Cratylus, who concluded that remaining silent is the only way to be entirely coherent with the idea that everything is complex and dynamic. An alternative to this drastic conclusion may consist in ‘saying without saying too much’, that is, setting some limits to theorizing and empirical inquiry. Problems of description, prediction and generalization in a CDST framework are discussed, pointing to some open issues to be addressed by future research. Finally, some proposals are made for a more constructive research program, which may even involve abandoning the ‘CDST’ label.

Key words complexity, Dynamic Systems Theory, epistemology, generalization, prediction

第4期目录

ARTICLES

■ Verb bias and semantic persistence effects in L2 ambiguity resolution, by Duygu Fatma Şafak, Holger Hopp, Pages 705–736.

■The computation and suspension of presuppositions by L1-Mandarin Chinese L2-English speakers, by Shuo Feng, Pages 737–763.

■ Online processing of the grammatical aspect marker by L2 Chinese learners, by Lijuan Liang, Vasiliki Chondrogianni, Baoguo Chen, Pages 765–786.

■ Effects of L1 morphological type on L2 morphological awareness, by Zhaohong Wu, Alan Juffs, Pages 787–812.

■ Language switch costs in a lexical decision task: Symmetry and cognitive correlates, by Jason Struck, Nan Jiang, Pages 813–838.

■ Sentence comprehension in heritage language: Isomorphism, word order, and language transfer, by Anna Chrabaszcz, Elena Onischik, Olga Dragoy, Pages 839–867.

■ Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese, by Sanako Mitsugi, Pages 869–892.

■ Processing Chinese relative clauses in context by Italian L3 learners, by Shenai Hu, Carlo Toneatto, Silvia Pozzi, Maria Teresa Guasti, Pages 893–912.

■ Phonetic feature size in second language acquisition: Examining VOT in voiceless and voiced stops, by Daniel J Olson, Pages 913–940.

■ Glottalization and linking in the L2 speech of Czech learners of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, by Radek Skarnitzl, Petr Čermák, Pavel Šturm, Zora Obstová, Jan Hricsina, Pages 941–963.

REVIEW ARTICLE

■ CEDEL2: Design, compilation and web interface of an online corpus for L2 Spanish acquisition research, by Cristóbal Lozano, Pages 965–983.

第4期摘要

Verb bias and semantic persistence effects in L2 ambiguity resolution

Duygu Fatma Şafak, Holger Hopp, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany

Abstract To pinpoint difficulties in the second language (L2) processing of temporarily ambiguous sentences, this study investigates first language (L1) effects and effects of verb bias, i.e. frequency information about preferential verb complements, on semantic persistence effects in L2 sentence comprehension. We tested 32 L1 German and 32 L1 Turkish intermediate-to-advanced learners of L2 English as well as 17 English natives in eye-tracking during reading and off-line comprehension. In off-line comprehension, neither natives nor L2 learners show verb bias effects, suggesting that semantic persistence of initial misinterpretations arises independently of lexical preferences. In contrast, reading times show that all groups are immediately sensitive to verb bias on-line, with L1 differences in how strongly verb bias affects garden-pathing. Unlike natives, however, L2 learners do not use verb bias to overcome semantic persistence to complete reanalysis in later segments of the sentence. We argue that, in spite of their initial sensitivity to verb bias in modulating garden paths, L2 readers suffer from processing limitations that constrain their ability to retrieve and integrate multiple sources of information for reanalysis. Our study confirms that reanalysis constitutes a key area of native versus non-native differences in L2 sentence processing.

Key words garden-path recovery, L1 effects, L2 processing, semantic persistence, verb bias

The computation and suspension of presuppositions by L1-Mandarin Chinese L2-English speakers

Shuo Feng, Peking University, Beijing, China

Abstract The Interface Hypothesis proposes that second language (L2) learners, even at highly proficient levels, often fail to integrate information at the external interfaces where grammar interacts with other cognitive systems. While much early L2 work has focused on the syntax–discourse interface or scalar implicatures at the semantics–pragmatics interface, the present article adds to this line of research by exploring another understudied phenomenon at the semantics–pragmatics interface, namely, presuppositions. Furthermore, this study explores both inference computation and suspension via a covered-box picture-selection task. Specifically, this study investigates the interpretation of the presupposition trigger stop and stop under negation. The results from 38 native English speakers and 41 first language (L1) Mandarin Chinese learners of English indicated similar response patterns between native and L2 groups in computing presuppositions but not in suspending presuppositions. That is, L2 learners were less likely to suspend presuppositions than native speakers. This study contributes to a more precise understanding of L2 acquisition at the external interface level, as well as computation and suspension of pragmatic inferences.

Key words Chinese, pragmatic inferences, presuppositions, semantics–pragmatics interface, suspension

Online processing of the grammatical aspect marker by L2 Chinese learners

Lijuan Liang, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China

Vasiliki Chondrogianni, The University of Edinburgh, UK

Baoguo Chen, Beijing Normal University, China

Abstract The perfective aspect marker in Chinese is partly functionally similar to inflectional suffixes in Indo-European languages but is non-inflectional and lexical in nature, lying thus at the semantics–syntax interface. This provides us with the opportunity to compare directly the syntactic and semantic constraints during second language (L2) sentence processing. The present study explored how L2 Chinese learners with Indo-European languages as their first languages (L1s) process the Chinese perfective marker. The Competition Model prioritizes syntactic processes entailed by cross-linguistic transfer from the participants’ L1s, but this prediction might be challenged by the concurrent functioning of semantic processes. In an event-related potentials (ERP) experiment, 22 European language-speaking L2 Chinese learners with low to intermediate proficiency level and 20 native Chinese speakers (i.e. the control group) participated. An aspectual agreement paradigm was used for materials. Results showed that in the aspect marker mismatch condition, L2 Chinese learners with a shorter learning experience were more likely to show a P600-like component, indicating a morpho-syntactic routine, supporting thus the predictions of cross-linguistic transfer based on the Competition Model. Those with a longer L2 learning experience were more likely to show an N400-like component similar to native Chinese speakers. This shift from P600 to N400 for more advanced learners suggests that L1–L2 syntactic similarity may exert much stronger influence than semantic constraints for learners with shorter L2 experience.

Key words cross-linguistic transfer, grammatical aspect marker, L2 Chinese learners, semantic–syntactic interface, the Competition Model

Effects of L1 morphological type on L2 morphological awareness

Zhaohong Wu, School of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China

Alan Juffs, Department of Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Abstract Previous studies on bilingual children have shown a significant correlation between first language (L1) and second language (L2) morphological awareness and a unique contribution of morphological awareness in one language to reading performance in the other language, suggesting cross-linguistic influence. However, few studies have compared advanced adult L2 learners from L1s of different morphological types or compared native speakers with advanced learners from a morphologically more complex L1 in their target-language morphological awareness. The current study filled this gap by comparing native English speakers (analytic) and two L2 groups from typologically different L1s: Turkish (agglutinative) and Chinese (isolating). Participants’ morphological awareness was evaluated via a series of tasks, including derivation, affix-choice word and nonword tasks, morphological relatedness, and a suffix-ordering task. Results showed a significant effect of L1 morphological type on L2 morphological awareness. After accounting for L2 proficiency, the Turkish group significantly outperformed the Chinese group in the derivation, morphological relatedness, and suffix-ordering tasks. More importantly, the Turkish group significantly outperformed the native English group in the morphological relatedness task even without accounting for English proficiency. Such results have implications for theories in second language acquisition regarding representation of the bilingual lexicon. In addition, results of the current study underscored the need to guard against the comparative fallacy and highlighted the influential effect of L1 experience on the acquisition of L2 morphological knowledge.

Key words derivation, L1 influence, L2 morphological awareness, morphological awareness tasks, morphological typology

Language switch costs in a lexical decision task: Symmetry and cognitive correlates

Jason Struck, University of Maryland, USA

Nan Jiang, University of Maryland, USA

Abstract Language switch costs have been explored less in receptive tasks than in productive tasks, and previous studies have produced mixed findings with regard to switch cost symmetry and the relationship of switch costs to executive function. To address these unresolved gaps, one hundred Chinese–English bilingual adults completed a bilingual lexical decision task and three tasks measuring executive function, and we used mixed effects models and correlational analyses to answer the two research questions. The results showed asymmetry with larger costs into the second language, but this was qualified by interactions with response sequence effects. No evidence was found for a relationship between switch costs and inhibition or shifting. Together, rather than supporting a model involving top-down control mechanisms as has been suggested to account for switch cost patterns in productive tasks, these findings support a bottom-up, activation-based model of bilingual word recognition and receptive language switching.

Key words cognitive control, executive function, language switching, lexical decision task, switch cost symmetry

Sentence comprehension in heritage language: Isomorphism, word order, and language transfer

Anna Chrabaszcz, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia; University of Pittsburgh, USA

Elena Onischik, Põhja-Eesti Taastusravikeskus, Estonia

Olga Dragoy, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia

Abstract This study examines the role of cross-linguistic transfer versus general processing strategy in two groups of heritage speakers (n = 28 per group) with the same heritage language – Russian – and typologically different dominant languages: English and Estonian. A group of homeland Russian speakers (n = 36) is tested to provide baseline comparison. Within the framework of the Competition model (MacWhinney, 2012), cross-linguistic transfer is defined as reliance on the processing cue prevalent in the heritage speaker’s dominant language (e.g. word order in English) for comprehension of heritage language. In accordance with the Isomorphic Mapping Hypothesis (O’Grady and Lee, 2005), the general processing strategy is defined in terms of isomorphism as a linear alignment between the order of the sentence constituents and the temporal sequence of events. Participants were asked to match pictures on the computer screen with auditorily presented sentences. Sentences included locative or instrumental constructions, in which two cues – word order (basic vs. inverted) and isomorphism mapping (isomorphic vs. nonisomorphic) – were fully crossed. The results revealed that (1) Russian native speakers are sensitive to isomorphism in sentence processing; (2) English-dominant heritage speakers experience dominant language transfer, as evidenced by their reliance primarily on the word order cue; (3) Estonian-dominant heritage speakers do not show significant effects of isomorphism or word order but experience significant processing costs in all conditions.

Key words competition model, English, Estonian, heritage speakers, isomorphism, Russian, sentence comprehension, transfer, word order

Polarity adverbs facilitate predictive processing in L2 Japanese

Sanako Mitsugi, University of Queensland, Australia

Abstract This study examines whether second language (L2) learners predict upcoming language prior to the verb in Japanese. Taking the dependency involving negative polarity adverbs – zenzen ‘at all’ and amari ‘(not) very’ – as a test case, this study examined whether Japanese native speakers and L2 learners of Japanese, aided by these adverbs, generate predictions of the polarity of the sentence-final verb. The visual-world paradigm experiment revealed that both native-speaker and L2-learner groups looked progressively more at the target picture before the negated verb when the information from adverbs was available than when it was not. The pattern of results underscores the usefulness of adverbial polarity items as predictive cues and indicates that they expedite the processing of negation in Japanese. Learners successfully exploited this information to generate nativelike predictions on sentence meaning.

Key words Japanese, predictive processing, negative polarity adverbs, the visual world paradigm

Processing Chinese relative clauses in context by Italian L3 learners

Shenai Hu, Xiamen University, China

Carlo Toneatto, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy

Silvia Pozzi, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy

Maria Teresa Guasti, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy

Abstract The present study investigates third language (L3) learners’ processing of Chinese subject and object relative clauses in a supportive context. Using a self-paced reading task, we tested native Italian L3 learners of Mandarin Chinese and native Chinese speakers. The results showed that the L3 learners read significantly more slowly than the native speakers in all the target regions. Also, in the head noun region, they read object relative clauses significantly more slowly compared to subject relative clauses, indicating a preference for the latter. By contrast, for the native speakers, no significant differences were observed between subject and object relative clauses in any of the target regions. The L3 learners’ performance offers support for the Structural Distance Hypothesis over the Dependency Locality Theory, and the contrast between the two populations indicates that context is at play in the processing of relative clauses.

Key words Chinese relative clauses, context, the subject/object asymmetry, third language processing, word order

Phonetic feature size in second language acquisition: Examining VOT in voiceless and voiced stops

Daniel J Olson, Purdue University, USA

Abstract Featural approaches to second language phonetic acquisition posit that the development of new phonetic norms relies on sub-phonemic features, expressed through a constellation of articulatory gestures and their corresponding acoustic cues, which may be shared across multiple phonemes. Within featural approaches, largely supported by research in speech perception, debate remains as to the fundamental scope or ‘size’ of featural units. The current study examines potential featural relationships between voiceless and voiced stop consonants, as expressed through the voice onset time cue. Native English-speaking learners of Spanish received targeted training on Spanish voiceless stop consonant production through a visual feedback paradigm. Analysis focused on the change in voice onset time, for both voiceless (i.e. trained) and voiced (i.e. non-trained) phonemes, across the pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. The results demonstrated a significant improvement (i.e. reduction) in voice onset time for voiceless stops, which were subject to the training paradigm. In contrast, there was no significant change in the non-trained voiced stop consonants. These results suggest a limited featural relationship, with independent voice onset time (VOT) cues for voiceless and voices phonemes. Possible underlying mechanisms that limit feature generalization in second language (L2) phonetic production, including gestural considerations and acoustic similarity, are discussed.

Key words features, phonetics, Spanish, visual feedback, voice onset time, voicing

Glottalization and linking in the L2 speech of Czech learners of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese

Radek Skarnitzl, Charles University, Czech Republic

Petr Čermák, Charles University, Czech Republic

Pavel Šturm, Charles University, Czech Republic

Zora Obstová, Charles University, Czech Republic

Jan Hricsina, Charles University, Czech Republic

Abstract The use of linking or glottalization contributes to the characteristic sound pattern of a language, and the use of one in place of the other may affect a speaker’s comprehensibility and fluency in certain contexts. In this study, native speakers of Czech, a language that is associated with a frequent use of glottalization in vowel-initial word onsets, are examined in the second language (L2) context of three Romance languages that predominantly employ linking between words (Spanish, Italian and Portuguese). In total, 29 native speakers and 51 non-native learners were asked to read a short text in the respective language. The learners were divided into two groups based on their experience with the target language. A number of other factors were examined in a mixed-effects logistic regression model (segmental context, lexical stress, prosodic breaks, and the semantic status of the words). The main results show that, regardless of the target language, the more experienced (ME) learners displayed significantly lower rates of glottalization than the less experienced (LE) learners, but significantly higher rates than native speakers. The pedagogical implications of the results are discussed.

Key words Czech, fluency, glottalization, linking, Romance languages, second language acquisition

CEDEL2: Design, compilation and web interface of an online corpus for L2 Spanish acquisition research

Cristóbal Lozano, Universidad de Granada, Spain

Abstract This article presents and reviews a new methodological resource for research in second language acquisition (SLA), CEDEL2 (Corpus Escrito del Español L2 ‘L2 Spanish Written Corpus’), and its free online search-engine interface (cedel2.learnercorpora.com). CEDEL2 is a multi-first-language corpus (Spanish, English, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, French, Greek, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic) of L2 Spanish learners at all proficiency levels. It additionally contains several native control subcorpora (English, Portuguese, Greek, Japanese, and Arabic). Its latest release (version 2) holds material from around 4,400 speakers, which amounts to over 1,100,000 words. CEDEL2 follows strict corpus-design criteria (Sinclair, 2005) and L2 corpus-design recommendations (Tracy-Ventura and Paquot, 2021), and all subcorpora are equally designed to be fully contrastable, as recommended by Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis (Granger, 2015). Thanks to its design and web interface, CEDEL2 allows for complex searches which can be further narrowed down according to its SLA-motivated variables, e.g. first language (L1), proficiency level, self-reported proficiency level, age of onset to the L2, length of exposure to the L2, length of residence in a Spanish-speaking country, knowledge of other foreign languages, type of task, etc. These CEDEL2 features allow L2 researchers to address SLA questions and hypotheses.

Key words L2 acquisition research, L2 corpora, L2 Spanish corpus, learner corpora, second language acquisition (SLA)

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