2. Item-based patterns in second vs. first language learners’ use of Japanese polysemous particles, ni, de and kara

Abstract

The last three decades have seen the establishment of usage-based models of language development which maintain that actual language use is the foundation for language learning. A number of studies have demonstrated that children learn lexical frames in limited scope before attaining adult-like grammar by taking sequences of words directly from the input. Moreover, such sequences or multi-word-expressions (MWE) are organized around particular words or phrases (e.g., Tomasello 2000). This supports “item-based patterns” (IBP) of learning (MacWhinney 2014). In the area of second language (L2) acquisition studies, a growing amount of research has also demonstrated the relevance of usage-based models (Eskildsen 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015; Li, Eskildsen, and Cadierno 2014; Pütz, Niemeier, and Dirven 2001). This chapter examines how L2 learners use MWE in dealing with grammatical morphemes in Japanese with the focus on three polysemous particles, ni, de and kara, each of which is associated with both spatial and non-spatial abstract senses. Two Chinese-speaking learners’ usage patterns of these particles in a longitudinal spoken corpus are analyzed and compared to a child’s acquisition pattern. Results show different patterns of learners’ usage among different particles and different senses. Results also reveal some differences between first language (L1) and L2 acquisition patterns from which pedagogical implications can be derived.