| dc.description.abstract | This study investigates the transfer of verb-second (V2) word order in native speakers of Norwegian learning English as a second language. Data were collected from three learner corpora containing texts written by learners at different stages of L2 acquisition, ranging from 7th grade pupils to students enrolled in higher education, all having received English instruction from an early age. The focus of the study is on determining what evidence there is of the learners transferring V2 word order into their second language and how this kind of transfer varies across different linguistic contexts. In order to investigate this, errors that potentially indicate transfer of V2 from the L1 were extracted from the learner corpora analyzed qualitatively. Results show that there is clear evidence of transfer of V2 in the learners’ second language productions, and that transfer effects remain even in late stages of acquisition. Furthermore, the raising of auxiliary verbs to second position of the clause is shown to transfer more persistently than the raising of lexical verbs out of VP. This is analyzed in part as a result of ambiguities in the input and differences in the frequencies of the relevant cues for acquisition. However, it is also consistent with predictions of the Interface Hypothesis, which holds that properties at the interfaces between narrow syntax and other cognitive domains are more difficult to acquire than properties of narrow syntax alone. In addition, the study investigates whether (non-)V2 is acquired on a clause-by-clause basis or whether it is acquired as a general property affecting all clause types. Evidence relating to this question in the corpora is found to be limited, but there is some indication that the learners transfer fine-grained distinctions from their L1 with regard to V2, rather than simply transferring a major parameter setting. | |
