Abstract
This study presents cross-sectional data on adjectival agreement in second-language (L2) learners of Norwegian with four different first languages (L1s). The target language has full noun phrase agreement between article, adjective and noun, and the source languages represent different agreement conditions, similar to or different from the target language. Sixteen learners participated in the study, and their oral production of adjective agreement was analysed individually. Two hypotheses were proposed. First, learners will develop adjectival agreement in a piecemeal way and follow the developmental stages predicted by Processability Theory (Pienemann, 1998), with attributive and predicative agreement implicationally ordered. Second, learners with adjective agreement in the L1 will transfer that into the L2, whereas learners without agreement in the L1 will not use agreement. Under the first hypothesis, we expect the learners to be distributed along a developmental scale, with some learners applying agreement in attributive positions only and others applying agreement in both the attributive and predicative positions. Under the second hypothesis, we anticipate a difference between the groups: Learners with agreement in their L1 will mark agreement in all contexts where it occurs in the L1, whereas learners who do not have agreement in their L1 will fail to mark agreement overall. The comparison demonstrates larger differences within the L1 groups than between the L1 groups. This suggests a gradual acquisition of agreement, with the agreement features and positions emerging one by one rather than being transferred from the L1.
Highlights
The objective of the present study is to examine the influence of the first language (L1) in learners’ second-language (L2) production of Norwegian adjectival number and gender agreement in attributive and predicative contexts
If the Somalispeaking learners rely on transfer, they will either fall into the first group or into the second group because agreement is optional in their L1, but it occurs in both positions if it is realized
The first hypothesis concerned whether the L2 acquisition of Norwegian adjective agreement in different positions would follow the predictions of Processability Theory (PT) (Pienemann, 1998), and the second hypothesis focused on L1 transfer effects
Summary
The objective of the present study is to examine the influence of the first language (L1) in learners’ second-language (L2) production of Norwegian adjectival number and gender agreement in attributive and predicative contexts These structures are present in two of the L1s (Albanian and Arabic), not present in one (Kurdish) and restricted in one (Somali). If the Somalispeaking learners rely on transfer, they will either fall into the first group (use both attributive and predicative agreement) or into the second group (use neither attributive nor predicative agreement) because agreement is optional in their L1, but it occurs in both positions if it is realized It is well-known that different languages influence each other in bilingual individuals. The concept of cross-linguistic influence or transfer has a long history, as it has been discussed in L2 acquisition research since the field began to take form in the 1950s (Weinreich, 1953; Lado, 1957)
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