Abstract
The present study aims to elaborate on the understanding of the second language (L2) acquisition of French interrogatives by focusing on clefted (subject) wh-questions, structures that are largely absent in prior L2 literature. Our research question addresses how L2 learners of French understand two specific properties associated with these interrogatives: existence and exhaustivity. Using two rating tasks, we examined whether a total of 48 L2 learners converge towards the native norm for these properties, which occur at the syntax-discourse interface and may therefore be vulnerable to incomplete acquisition, following the Interface Hypothesis. Our findings suggest that L2 learners at the intermediate level acquire an understanding of the existential inference before an understanding of exhaustivity.
Highlights
The French interrogative system remains a topic of interest in research on both first (L1)and second (L2) language acquisitions of French (Faure and Palasis 2021; Hamlaoui 2011; Li 2021; Zwanziger 2008)
The present paper examines the acquisition of a specific type of interrogative by English L2 learners of French, namely clefted wh-questions
We report on the main effects of each factor and their interaction for clefts and canonical questions separately, with any t-value that exceeds |1.96| considered to be statistically significant with p < 0.05
Summary
The French interrogative system remains a topic of interest in research on both first (L1)and second (L2) language acquisitions of French (Faure and Palasis 2021; Hamlaoui 2011; Li 2021; Zwanziger 2008). Its complexity is widely recognized and has been identified as a potential challenge for L2 learners (Donaldson 2016; Zwanziger 2008) This is especially true for those learners whose native language has a repertoire of interrogatives less extensive than that of French, such as English, limiting the possibilities of direct positive L1 transfer. The present paper examines the acquisition of a specific type of interrogative by English L2 learners of French, namely clefted (subject) wh-questions. This structure, commonly used in spoken French, is not widely used in English and has not been extensively studied in existing L2 literatures.
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