Animacy hierarchy effects on the second language acquisition of attributive psych adjectives

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article argues that “animacy” in the context of attributive psych adjectives can be subcategorized into “human,” “human by metonymy,” and “animate” and that these subcategories play a role for Chinese speakers acquiring English. A study that involved an acceptability judgment test found that, in contrast to a group of native controls, the second language (L2) speakers misuse adjectival –ed for adjectival –ing with animate nouns and adjectival –ing for adjectival –ed with human by metonymy nouns, indicating that L2 speakers appeal to an “animacy hierarchy” in determining the meanings of English psych adjectives. There is no evidence in the target language input for such a hierarchy, so the results are consistent with the view that these L2 learners are drawing on universal properties of thematic organization.