Abstract
Empirical studies investigating the second language (L2) acquisition of tense, aspect, mood/modality (TAM) systems offer an enlightening window into L2 learners’ linguistic competence because they involve all areas of a language, making them ideal testing grounds for the Interface hypothesis and ultimately whether adult learners may achieve a native-like TAM system. This longitudinal study used a pre-test, repeated exposure, delayed post-test design guided by a main research question—does the L2 learners’ interlanguage display contrasts and systematicity? Sixteen L2 French learners—L1 English (n = 9), HL French (n = 4), and HL Spanish (n = 3) speakers enrolled in a fourth-year college Film and Fiction class read five novels that were extensively discussed in class and used as essay topics, thus providing controlled, repeated exposure to oral and written input over a semester. Qualitative and quantitative findings reveal a highly accurate production of several forms, but with an over-reliance on the indicative present. The learners’ TAM system appears to be contrasted and varied, but unbalanced. Findings regarding the Interface hypothesis are mixed.
Highlights
Empirical studies investigating the second language (L2) acquisition of tense, aspect, mood/modality (TAM) systems offer an enlightening window into L2 learners’ linguistic competence because they involve all areas of a language, making them ideal testing grounds for the Interface hypothesis and to determine whether adult learners may achieve a native-like TAM system (Ayoun and Rothman 2013; Reinhart 2006; Salaberry and Ayoun 2005)
External interfaces are defined as overlapping points in the mental representation of grammar with the interaction of properties between at least one linguistic module and an aspect of cognition
TAM properties stand at both internal and external interfaces allowing us to test the hypothesis that properties situated at external interfaces are more complex and more difficult to acquire than narrow syntactic properties e.g., (Sorace and Serratrice 2009)
Summary
Empirical studies investigating the second language (L2) acquisition of tense, aspect, mood/modality (TAM) systems offer an enlightening window into L2 learners’ linguistic competence because they involve all areas of a language, making them ideal testing grounds for the Interface hypothesis and to determine whether adult learners may achieve a native-like TAM system (Ayoun and Rothman 2013; Reinhart 2006; Salaberry and Ayoun 2005). TAM properties stand at both internal (i.e., syntax, morphology, semantics) and external interfaces (e.g., pragmatics and cognition) allowing us to test the hypothesis that properties situated at external interfaces are more complex and more difficult to acquire than narrow syntactic properties e.g., (Sorace and Serratrice 2009). Grammar-internal properties include inflectional morphology for tense-marking, while grammar-external properties concern mood selection, which requires L2 learners to process pragmatic and discourse information (Collentine 2003). According to the Interface hypothesis, L2 French learners should eventually successfully acquire tense-marking
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