Article published in:
The Acquisition of Spanish in Understudied Language Pairings
Edited by Tiffany Judy and Silvia Perpiñán
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 3] 2015
► pp. 255–280

Object Drop in L2 Spanish, (Complex) Feature Reassembly and L1 Pre-emption

Comparing English, Chinese, European and Brazilian Portuguese Learners

L2 learners from different L1s may differ in L2 development and ultimate attainment for the same target property. Examining object drop in L2 Spanish, we maintain that performances of distinct L1 groups (English, Chinese, Brazilian and European Portuguese) are not as contradictory as they first appear. We argue that L1 influences are sources of observed L2 behaviours, and suggest that feature reassembly (e.g. Lardiere 2009) and L1 pre-emption (e.g. Rothman & Iverson 2011, 2013; Trahey & White 1993) are not mutually exclusive; they may apply simultaneously and differentially depending on the L1/L2 pairs and target L2 property, creating distinct learning tasks for different L1s. Keywords: object drop; feature reassembly; pre-emption; cross-linguistic influence
Published online: 18 February 2015
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.3.10ive
References

References

Bianchi, V., & Figueiredo Silva, M.C.
(1993) On some properties of agreement-object in Italian and in Brazilian Portuguese. Ms., Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa/Université de Genève.
Bley-Vroman, R.
(1990) The logical problem of foreign language learning. Linguistic Analysis, 20, 3–49. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2009) The evolving context of the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 31, 175–198. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Bruhn de Garavito
J., & Guijarro-Fuentes, P. (2002). L2 acquisition of indefinite object drop in Spanish. In J. Costa & M.J. Freitas (Eds.) GALA 2001. Proceedings pp. 60 67 Lisbon Associação Portuguesa de Linguística
Campos, H.
(1986) Indefinite object drop. Linguistic Inquiry, 17, 354–359.Google Scholar
Chen, P.
(2004) Identifiability and definiteness in Chinese. Linguistics, 42(6), 1129–1184. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, L.L., & Sybesma, R.
(1999) Bare and not-so-bare nouns and the structure of NP. Linguistic Inquiry, 30, 509–542. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chomsky, N.
(1986) Barriers. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Clahsen, H., & Hong, U.
(1995) Agreement and null subjects in German L2 development: New evidence from reaction-time experiments. Second Language Research, 11, 57–87. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cuza, A., Pérez-Leroux, T., & Sánchez, L.
(2013) The role of semantic transfer in clitic drop among simultaneous and sequential Chinese-Spanish bilinguals. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 35(1), 93–125. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Dimitrakopoulou, M., Kalaitzidou, M., Roussou, A., & Tsimpli, I.M.
(2004) Clitics and determiners in the Greek L2 grammar Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Greek Linguistics. 〈www​.philology​.uoc​.gr​/conferences​/6thICGL〉
Farrell, P.
(1990) Null objects in Brazilian Portuguese. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 8(3), 325–346. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Gabriele, A.
(2009) Transfer and transition in the SLA of aspect: A bidirectional study of learners of English and Japanese. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 31, 371–402. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hamann, C.
(2003) Phenomena in French normal and impaired language acquisition and their implications for hypotheses on language development. Probus, 15, 91–122. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Huang, J.
(1984) On the distribution and reference of empty pronouns. Linguistic Inquiry, 15, 531–575.Google Scholar
Ionin, T.
(2006) This is definitely specific: Specificity and definiteness in article systems. Natural Language Semantics, 14, 175–234. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ionin, T., Ko, H., & Wexler, K.
(2004) Article semantics in L2 acquisition: the role of specificity. Language Acquisition, 12, 3–69. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kupisch, T., & Müller, N.
(2009) Relating Italian articles and clitic object pronouns in bilingual children acquiring German and Italian. In C. Dimroth & P. Jordens (Eds.), Functional Categories in Learner Language (pp. 307–342). Berlin: De Gruyter. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lardiere, D.
(2009) Some thoughts on the contrastive analysis of feature in second language acquisition. Second Language Research, 25, 171–225. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lyons, C.
(1999) Definiteness. Cambridge: CUP. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Manzini, R.M., & Wexler, K.
(1987) Parameters, binding theory, and learnability. Linguistic Inquiry, 18, 413–444. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Marinis, T.
(2003) The Acquisition of the DP in Modern Greek. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Meisel, J.
(1997) The acquisition of the syntax of negation in French and German: Contrasting first and second language development. Second Language Research, 13, 227–263. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2011) First and Second Language Acquisition: Parallels and Differences. Cambridge: CUP. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ramchand, G., & Svenonious, P.
(2008) Mapping a parochial lexicon onto a universal semantics. In M.T. Biberauer (Ed.), Limits of Syntactic Variation (pp. 219–245). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Raposo, E.
(1986) On the null object in European Portuguese. In O. Jaeggli & C. Silva-Corvalán (Eds.), Studies in Romance Linguistics (pp. 373–390). Dordrecht: Foris.Google Scholar
Rothman, J.
(2008) Why not all counter-evidence to the Critical Period Hypothesis is equal or problematic: Implications for SLA. Language and Linguistics Compass, 2(6), 1063–1088. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Rothman, J., & Iverson, M.
(2008) Poverty-of-the-stimulus and L2 epistemology: Considering L2 knowledge of aspectual phrasal semantics. Language Acquisition: A Journal of Developmental Linguistics, 15(4), 270–314. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2011) L1 preemption and L2 learnability: The case of object drop in Brazilian Portuguese native learners of L2 Spanish. In N. Danis, K. Mesh, & H. Sung (Eds.), BUCLD 35: Proceedings of the 35th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (pp. 296–307). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.
(2013) Strong islands and null objects in L2 Spanish of Brazilian Portuguese natives: Do you know the learners who drop ____? Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 35(4), 589–619. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Sánchez, L.
(2004) Object Agreement and the Checking of Focus in Spanish. Unpublished ms, Rutgers University.
Schwartz, B.
(1998) The second language instinct. Lingua, 106, 133–160. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2013, April). At what level, “transfer”? Plenary paper presented at Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition 12, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Schwartz, B., & Song, H.
(2009) Testing the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis: L2 adult, L2 child, and L1 child comparisons in the acquisition of Korean wh-constructions with negative polarity items. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 31, 323–361. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Schwartz, B., & Sprouse, R.
(1996) L2 cognitive states and the full transfer/full access model. Second Language Research, 12, 40–72. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2000) When syntactic theories evolve: Consequences for L2 acquisition research. In J. Archibald (Ed.), Second Language Acquisition and Linguistic Theory (pp. 156–186). Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Schwenter, S.
(2006) Null objects across South America. In T.L. Face & C. Klee (Eds.), Selected Proceedings of the 8th Hispanic Linguistics Symposium (pp. 23–36). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.Google Scholar
Slabakova, R.
(2006) Is there a critical period for semantics? Second Language Research, 22, 302–338. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2008) Meaning in the Second Language. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2009) Features or Parameters: Which one makes SLA easier, and more interesting to study? A response to Lardiere. Second Language Research, 25(2), 313–324. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Slabakova, R., & Montrul, S.
(2003) Genericity and Aspect in L2 Acquisition. Language Acquisition, 11, 165–196. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Trahey, M., & White, L.
(1993) Positive evidence and preemption in the second language classroom. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 15, 181–204. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Westergaard, M.
(2003) Unlearning V2: Transfer, markedness and the importance of input cues in the acquisition of word order in English by Norwegian children. EUROSLA Yearbook, 3, 73–101. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
White, L.
(1989) Universal Grammar and Second Language Acquisition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2003) Second Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar. Cambridge: CUP. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Yuan, B.
(2001) The status of thematic verbs in second language acquisition of Chinese: Against inevitability of thematic-verb raising in second language acquisition. Second Language Research, 17, 248–272. CrossrefGoogle Scholar