Describing the Acquisition of the Passive Voice by a Child Learner of Japanese as a Second Language from a Processability Theory Perspective

Junko Iwasaki,Rhonda Oliver

doi:10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.7n.5p.247

Abstract

This longitudinal case study reports on the acquisition of Japanese as a second language (L2) by a child learner with English as his first language (L1) who was acquiring Japanese naturalistically. In particular this study focusses on the acquisition by the child of a non-canonical mapping structure, namely the passive voice in relation to canonical mapping structures (e.g., the active voice) within the framework of the Unmarked Alignment Hypothesis (UAH) and the Lexical Mapping Hypothesis (LMH). These hypotheses are two of the main pillars of the extended Processability Theory (PT) (Pienemann, Di Biase & Kawaguchi, 2005). When compared to a large body of studies on the L1 acquisition of the passive voice, there have been only few theoretically motivated studies on the L2 acquisition of this structure, and further no studies to date have been undertaken using L2 child informants. The results of the earlier PT-based research (e.g., Wang, 2009) found that the acquisition of the passive voice by adult L2 learners occurred later than did the active voice. The results of the current child Japanese L2 study confirmed this, supporting Kawaguchi’s (2007) claim that the learner’s choice of a syntactic structure is restricted by developmental skills in argument-function mapping as predicted by UAH and LMH. Further, the results indicate that, prior to the emergence of the passive voice, a developmental period for the child to attempt non-canonical mapping existed and that the passive verbal morphology often appeared in a non-target like way until the end of the observation period.

Highlights

When mature L2 learners are engaged in communication in their target language they rely on both their linguistic and pragmatic competence to maintain an effective conversation
The first and second parts (3.1 and 3.2) present and discuss the occurrences of canonical mapping structures such as the active voice found in the child language, and those of the passive voice respectively
The main aim of this study was to test the veracity of the extended Processability Theory (PT), and with reference to Unmarked Alignment Hypothesis (UAH) and Lexical Mapping Hypothesis (LMH), by exploring the acquisition of the passive voice by a child learner of Japanese L2

Summary

Introduction

When mature L2 learners are engaged in communication in their target language they rely on both their linguistic and pragmatic competence to maintain an effective conversation. If learners have not achieved an adequate level of competence, they may fail to add a pragmatically preferable nuance to their speech This may happen because they have not been able to use an appropriate grammatical structure even though they may want to choose it. Kawaguchi’s claim accords with the extended version of the Processability Theory (PT) (Pienemann, Di Biase & Kawaguchi, 2005) which indicates that the acquisition of the passive voice is developmental. The aim of the current study was to test the veracity of the extended PT by exploring the acquisition of the passive voice and comparing the emergence of the passive voice with that of canonical mapping structures, including the active voice, in the interlanguage of a naturalistic child learner of Japanese as a second language (JSL). The primary question was: Does the passive voice emerge later than canonical mapping structures in the interlanguage of a child acquiring JSL naturalistically? The data for this case study were collected longitudinally and analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods

Objectives

Results

Conclusion