Acquisition Of Tense-aspect Morphology Research Articles

Cognitive grammar learning strategies in the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology in L3 Catalan

ABSTRACTThis study investigates grammar learning strategies and the acquisition of L2 tense-aspect morphology through the retrospective think-aloud processes of a group of L3 learners of Catalan. A total of 18 students of Catalan in a university setting in Catalonia were asked to select one of three tense-aspect forms (preterite, imperfect, and perfect) in a short narrative written in the past. Retrospective think-aloud protocols were used to investigate what they were thinking when they made the decision to choose the appropriate tense-aspect form. A bottom-up analysis identified nine grammar learning strategies that participants used to select the appropriate past tense forms. The results on the frequency of use of the strategies show that they were often used in combination and that the most common ones were translation, aspect, adverbial, and tense strategies. The analysis of strategy use according to type of morphology and selection of the correct form in the narrative showed that strategy use is related both to specific tense-aspect forms as well as to accuracy in the selection of forms.

A Longitudinal Study on the Korean Past Tense Acquisition : Focused on the Interview of L1 Chinese Learners

This paper examines the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology in two Chinese learners of Korean. This paper has been designed to track developmental aspect of past tense form and to verify the Aspect Hypothesis through a longitudinal corpus. It was found that (1) two children use past tense form predominantly with [+telic] (accomplishment/ achievement verbs) than [-telic] (action/ state verbs); (2) in the stage 1 and stage 4, they use past tense form with accomplishment verbs the most; (3) in the stage 2 and stage 3, they use past tense form with achievement verbs the most. The result shows the pattern of the development of tense-aspect form is based on prototype formation (the correlations between verbs with [+telic] and past tense form `-ess-`) partially from non-past tense errors in the past tense obligatory contexts; the pattern in the early development of tense-aspect of Chinese acquisition of Korean have gaps with earlier studies.

Lexical aspect in the use of the present perfect by Japanese EFL learners

There is an extensive body of research concerning the second language (L2) acquisition of tense-aspect morphology in relation to an inherent aspectual property of verb predicates (Andersen and Shirai 1994, 1996; Shirai 2009). Specifically, it has been well documented that in an emergent use of tense-aspect morphology, L2 learners tend to use each tense-aspect form according to the inherent semantic aspectual property of verbs (Andersen and Shirai 1994, 1996). Although this phenomenon has been extensively attested in studies examining L2 learners' use of the simple past tense form, the progressive marker, and the present tense form (Andersen and Shirai 1994, 1996; Shirai 2004, 2009), relatively few studies have investigated the use of the English present perfect form in relation to the inherent semantic aspectual property of verbs. This is unfortunate in view of the unique aspectual characteristic the form exhibits (Leech 1970; McCord 1978; Smith 1991). In order to address this issue, the present study examines the L2 use of the present perfect form in relation to the inherent semantic aspectual property of verbs. A cloze test was administered to 29 Japanese learners of English. The results showed that learners associated the present perfect form with particular semantic aspectual properties of verbs, suggesting that L2 use of the present perfect form is constrained by such aspects. This study proposes multiple factors to account for this finding: perceptual saliency (Slobin 1985), cognitive processing principles, (Andersen 1993; Bybee 1985) and learners' prototype formation in the early use of tense-aspect morphology (Shirai and Andersen 1995).

Semantic bias and morphological regularity in the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology: what is the relation?

This article reviews research on English past-tense acquisition to test the validity of the single mechanism model and the dual mechanism model, focusing on regular-irregular dissociation and semantic bias. Based on the review, it is suggested that in L1 acquisition, both regular and irregular verbs are governed by semantics; that is, early use of past tense forms are largely restricted to achievement verbs — regular or irregular. In contrast, some L2 acquisition studies show stronger semantic bias for regular past tense forms (Housen, The development of tense-aspect in English as a second language and the variable influence of inherent aspect, John Benjamins, 2002). It is argued that L1 acquisition of the past-tense morphology can be accounted for adequately — without assuming dual mechanisms — by relying on connectionist-like input-based prototype formation as a mechanism for the development of tense-aspect morphology.

THE ACQUISITION OF PROGRESSIVE AND RESULTATIVE MEANINGS OF THE IMPERFECTIVE ASPECT MARKER BY L2 LEARNERS OF JAPANESE: Transfer, Universals, or Multiple Factors?

It has been observed that there is a strong association between the inherent (lexical) aspect of verbs and the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology (the aspect hypothesis; Andersen & Shirai, 1994). To investigate why such an association is observed, this study examined the influence of inherent aspect and learners' first language (L1) on the acquisition of Japanese imperfective aspect by using two tasks—an acceptability judgment test and an oral picture description task—with two groups of second language learners of Japanese: 26 native speakers (NSs) of English, which has the obligatory progressive, and 35 NSs of languages that have no obligatory progressive marking (German and Slavic languages). The results from the acceptability judgment test support the aspect hypothesis in that, regardless of L1, the imperfective marker -te i-ru was strongly associated with activity verbs for lower proficiency learners. However, the results from the oral task did not support the prediction, in that lower proficiency L1 nonprogressive learners did not show any such preference. The results suggest that L1 plays a role in the formation of the acquisition pattern predicted by the aspect hypothesis, but that given the complex interaction with task types and proficiency, L1 transfer cannot be the sole reason for the predicted association in the acquisition of Japanese -te i-(ru). It is argued that multiple factors are at work when learners create the form-meaning associations predicted by the aspect hypothesis.This article is based on research conducted as part of Sugaya's doctoral dissertation submitted to Ochanomizu University. We would like to thank Kevin Gregg, Yoshinori Sasaki, and the anonymous SSLA reviewers for their insightful comments on an earlier version of this article. We also thank Manabu Kurosawa for his invaluable advice on statistical analysis. We are grateful to Chie Morizuka, Hiromi Ozeki, Masuyo Sugiyama, Orie Takahashi, Yoko Mukoyama, Yukari Hashimoto, and the other participants of the seminar on SLA at Ochanomizu University for their helpful discussions of this study. We also thank the participants in the study for their cooperation and those who kindly helped us recruit them. This research is partially supported by a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Developmental Index for Japanese L1 and L2 Acquisition and Comparative Research on the Acquisition of English and Japanese, grant No. 13410034, PI-Kiyoshi Otomo, Tokyo Gakugei University). A preliminary analysis of the acceptability judgment test appeared in Nihongo Kyooiku (Journal of Japanese Language Teaching; Sugaya, 2004).

The Particulars on Universals: A Comparison of the Acquisition of Tense-Aspect Morphology among Japanese- and French-Speaking Learners of English

This study investigated the relationship between L1 and the developmental sequences for the acquisition of temporal morphology that are predicted by the aspect hypothesis. The use of tense-aspect markers in 7,784 past contexts by 139 Japanese- and French-speaking ESL learners was analyzed. A repeated measures ANOVA supported the predictions of the aspect hypothesis. For both L1 groups, the marking of past spread from achievements and accomplishments (telics) through activities to statives, and the preferred non-past responses for statives and activities were present and progressive, respectively. The magnitude, rather than the direction, of the lexical aspect effect with achievements was the only significant L1 difference. The results lend support to the hypothesis that the influence of lexical aspect on the acquisition of grammatical morphology is a language learning universal. They are also consistent with research on other linguistic features in which selective influence of L1 on developmental sequences has been observed. La presente etude avait pour but d'examiner le rapport entre la langue premiere (L1) et les sequences de developpement de l'acquisition de la morphologie temporelle telles que prevues par l'hypothese aspectuelle. Les analyses portent sur l'emploi du temps et de l'aspect en anglais de 139 apprenants francophones et japonais dans 7 784 contextes au passe. Les resultats d'une analyse de variance sur des mesures repetees confirment les previsions de l'hypothese aspectuelle. Dans les deux groupes d'apprenants, pour marquer le passe, l'emploi de la forme du preterit simple s'etend des achevements et des accomplissements (verbes teliques) aux activites et aux etats (verbes ateliques). Pour le non-passe, il y avait une preference pour l'emploi du present avec les etats et du progressif avec les activites. La seule difference significative selon la L1 se trouvait dans la grandeur de l'effet de l'aspect lexical pour les achevements. Ces resultats appuient l'hypothese selon laquelle l'influence de l'aspect lexical sur l'acquisition de la morphologie grammaticale constitue un universel de l'acquisition des langues. Ils sont aussi compatibles avec des recherches sur d'autres traits linguistiques ou l'on a observe l'influence selective de la L1 sur les sequences de developpement.

Acquisition of tense-aspect morphology and the regular-irregular debate

This paper reviews research on English past-tense acquisition to test the validity of the single mechanism model and the dual mechanism model, focusing on regular-irregular dissociation and semantic bias. Based on the review, it is suggested that in L1 acquisition, both regular and irregular verbs are governed by semantics; that is, early use of past tense forms are restricted to achievement verbs—regular or irregular. In contrast, some L2 acquisition studies show stronger semantic bias for regular past tense forms (e.g., Housen, 2002, Rohde, 1996). It is argued that L1 acquisition of the past-tense morphology can be accounted for more adequately by the single-mechanism model.

Is there primacy of aspect in child L2 English?

This article investigates whether the Aspect-before-Tense Hypothesis (Antinucci and Miller, 1976; Shirai and Andersen, 1995) accounts for the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology in child L2 English. The main question addressed is whether early uses of tense-aspect inflections can be analyzed as a spell-out of semantic/aspectual features of verbs (such as punctuality, telicity, durativity, etc.). The data are drawn from a detailed longitudinal study of an eight-year-old Russian-speaking child who was acquiring English as L2 in the USA. It is first shown that the emergence of tense-aspect morphology patterns by aspectual verb class. However, contrary to the Aspect-before-Tense Hypothesis, it is argued that the acquisition patterns cannot be attributed to “defective” tense, nor do they reflect the spell-out of aspectual features. A new approach to the data is developed that proposes underspecification of the syntactic aspectual head in early L2 child grammar.

Introduction: the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology

Introduction: the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology

The role of input vs. universal predispositions in the emergence of tense-aspect morphology: evidence from Turkish

This study investigates the role of input, both in terms of distri butional tendencies and contexts of use, in the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology. Longitudinal data from three children, with mother's input for only one, constitute the data base. Results showed that (1) the distribution of different inflections with verbs of different inherent aspect in the child's speech corresponds to that in the mother's speech, (2) the child has stronger preferences for, and first uses the past inflection with, achievement and the present/imperfective inflection with activity and stative verbs. Findings suggest that input and universal cognitive-processing strategies play an interactive role. The nature of this interaction is discussed by considering how mother-child discourse provides the situational and linguistic contexts necessary for learning to talk about temporality.