The role of L1 Norwegian and L2 English in the acquisition of verb placement in L3 German

Abstract

Focusing on the much-debated question of transfer from previously learned languages in L3 acquisition, we investigate acquisition of finite verb placement in L3 German. Participants are L1 Norwegian high-school students with L2 English, in years 1, 2, 4, and 5 of German instruction. Norwegian and German have V2 word order, while English does not. Participants completed acceptability judgments in L3 German and L2 English. Results show no clear preference for either V2 or non-V2 in German in the earliest learners, but later development towards target-like intuitions. Target-like L2 English judgments do not seem to be associated with more transfer from L2 to L3 of a given structure, and higher L2 proficiency does not predict more L2 transfer to L3.