In this study, we investigate the role of the head-initial/head-final parameter in adult second language (L2) acquisition of English. Sixty Chinese speaking adults were tested in their elicited production of complex sentences which involved pre-and postposed adverbial subordinate clauses both with and without pronoun anaphors. Results obtained in this study match those reported earlier for Japanese speakers learning English (Flynn, 1981; 1983a; 1983b; 1984; in press). Both Japanese and Chinese are head-final languages (Kuno, 1973; Huang, 1982). Findings are used to argue for the role of the head-initial/head-final parameter in adult L2 acquisition of pronoun anaphora. They are also used to argue for a model of grammar in which parameters associated with head-direction are differentiated from parameters associated with word order (Travis, 1983; 1984). Results also provide additional empirical support for the parameter setting model of L2 acquisition currently proposed by Flynn (1983a; 1983b, in press; forthcoming).
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Appel, R.1964: On the notion of grammar. In Fodor, J. and Katz, J., editors, The structure of language, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
2.
1984: Immigrant children learning Dutch.Dordrecht: Foris.
3.
Chao, Y. R.1968: A grammar of spoken Chinese.Los Angeles: University of California Press.
4.
Chomsky, N.1980: Rules and representations.New York: Columbia University Press.
5.
1981: Lectures on government and binding: the Pisa lectures.Dordrecht: Foris.
6.
1982: Some concepts and consequences of the theory of government and bindingCambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
7.
1984: Changing perspectives on knowledge and use of language. MIT, ms. forthcoming: Changing perspectives on knowledge and use of language.
8.
Clahsen, H.1984: The acquisition of German word order: a test for cognitive approaches to L2 development. In Andersen, R., editor, Second languages: a cross-linguistic perspective, Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House.
9.
Comrie, B.1984: Why linguists need language acquirers. In Rutherford, W., editor, Language universals and second language acquisition, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Press, 11–29.
10.
Cook, V.1984: Chomsky's Universal Grammar and second language learning. Applied Linguistics6: 1–18.
11.
Dulay, H. and Burt, M. K.1974: A new perspective on the creative construction process in child second language acquisition. Language Learning24: 253.
12.
Dulay, H., and Burt, M. and Krashen, S.1982: Language 2.London: Oxford University Press.
13.
Farmer, A. 1980: On the interaction of morphology and syntax. MIT, PhD dissertation.
14.
Fisiak, J. 1983: Present trends in contrastive linguistics. In Sajavaara, K., editor, Cross-language analysis and second language acquisition 2, Jyvaskyla, Finland.
15.
Flynn, S. 1981: The effects of first language branching direction on the acquisition of second language. In Harbert, W. and Herschensohn, J., editors, Cornell working papers in linguistics, 50–63.
16.
1983a: A study of the effects of principal branching direction in second language acquisition: the generalization of a parameter of Universal Grammar from first to second language acquisition, Cornell University, PhD dissertation.
17.
1983b: Differences between first and second language acquisition: setting the parameters of Universal Grammar. In Rogers, D. and Sloboda, J., editors, Symbolic skills, London and New York: Plenum Press, 485–500.
18.
1984: A universal in L2 acquisition based on a PBD typology. In Eckman, F., editor, Universals in second language acquisition, Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House.
19.
1985: Principled theories of second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
20.
Gallimore, R. and Tharp, R.1981: The interpretation of elicited sentence imitation in a standardized context. Language Learning31: 369–92.
21.
Hoekstra, T.1984: Transitivity: grammatical relations in government and binding theory.Dordrecht: Foris.
22.
Huang, J. 1982: Logical relations in Chinese and the theory of grammar. MIT, Phd dissertation.
23.
Jackendoff, R.1977: X' syntax: a study of phrase structure. Linguistic Inquiry Monograph 2, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
24.
Jaeggli, O. 1980: On some phonologically null elements in syntax. MIT, PhD dissertation.
25.
Jansen, B., Lallemam, J. and Muysken, P.1981: The alternative hypothesis: acquisition of Dutch word order by Turkish and Moroccan foreign workers. Language Learning31: 315–36.
26.
Kayne, R.1984: Connectedness and binary branching.Dordrecht: Foris.
27.
Kellerman, E.1983: Now you see it, now you don't. In Gass, S. and Selinker, L., editors, Language transfer, Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House.
28.
Keppel, G.1973: Design and analysis: a researcher's handbook.Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
29.
Kerlinger, F and Pedhazur, E.1973: Multiple regression in behavioural research.New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
30.
Koopman, H. forthcoming: The syntax of verbs: from verb-movement rules in Kru languages to Universal Grammar.Foris: Dordrecht.
31.
Kuno, S.1973: The structure of the Japanese language.Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
32.
Lado, R.1957: Linguistics across cultures.Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
33.
Li, C. and Thompson, S.1976: Subject and topic: a new typology of language. In Li, C., editor, Subject and topic, New York: Academic Press.
34.
Liceras, J.1981: Markedness and permeability in interlanguage systems. Working Papers in Linguistics 2, University of Toronto.
35.
1983: Markedness, contrastive analysis and the acquisition of Spanish syntax by Engish speakers. University of Toronto, PhD dissertation.
36.
Lii, Y. H. E.1975: Word order transformation and communication function in Mandarin Chinese. Cornell University, PhD dissertation.
37.
Lust, B.1981: Constraint on anaphora in child language: a prediction for a universal. In Tavakolian, S., editor, Language acquisition and linguistic theory, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
38.
1983: On the notion ‘principal branching direction': a parameter of Universal Grammar. In Otsu, Y., van Riemsdyk, H., Inoue, K., Kamio, A. and Kawasaki, N., editors, Studies in generative grammar and language acquisition, Monbusho Grant for Scientific Research, Tokyo, Japan.
39.
Lust, B. and Mangione, L.1983: The principal branching direction parameter constraint in first language acquisition of anaphora. In Proceedings of the 13th Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Linguistic Society, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
40.
Mangione, L1982: The syntax and semantics of passive, causative and ba constructions in Mandarin. Cornell University, PhD dissertation.
41.
Muysken, P. 1983: Parameterizing the notion ‘head’. Manuscript.
42.
Reinhart, T. 1976: The syntactic domain of anaphora, MIT, PhD dissertation.
43.
Rochemont, M. 1978: A theory of stylistic rules in English. UMass, PhD dissertation.
44.
Rutherford, W.1983: Language typology and language transfer. In Gass, S. and Selinker, L., editors, Language transfer in language learning, Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House.
45.
Saito, M.1985: Some asymmetries in Japanese and their theoretical implications. MIT, PhD dissertation.
46.
Slobin, D.1973: Cognitive prerequisites for the development of grammar. In Ferguson, C. and Slobin, D., editors, Studies of child language development, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 175–208.
47.
Smits, R.1983: On some free adjuncts in English and the role of elements in Comp. University of Amsterdam, unpublished ms.
48.
Stowell, T.1981: Origins of phrase structure. MIT, PhD dissertation.
49.
Suñer, M.1982: On null subjects. Linguistic Analysis9: 55–78.
50.
Taylor, B.1975: The use of overgeneralization and language transfer strategies by elementary and intermediate students in ESL. Language Learning25: 73–107.
51.
Torrego, E1981a: Spanish as a pro-drop language. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, mimeographed manuscript.
52.
Torrego, E1981b: On the non-evidence for a special comp structure in Spanish. Boston, Massachusetts: UMass, ms.
53.
Torrego, E1981c: Spanish as a pro-drop language, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, mimeographed manuscript.
54.
Torrego, E1984: On inversion in Spanish and some of its effects. Linguistic Inquiry15: 1.
55.
Travis, L.1983: Word order change and parameters. In Haik, I. and Massam, D., editors, Papers in grammatical theory, MIT Working Papers Vol. 5.
56.
1984: Parameters and effects of word order variation. MIT, PhD dissertion.
57.
Wasow, T.1972: Anaphora relations in English.MIT, PhD dissertion.
58.
White, L.1985: The ‘pro-drop’ parameter in adult second language acquistion. Language Learning30: 43–57.
