Cover not available
Article published In:
Acquisition of Chinese: Bilingualism and Multilingualism
Edited by Boping Yuan and Yanyu Guo
[Journal of Second Language Studies 3:2] 2020
► pp. 205–232

Roles of positive and indirect negative evidence in L2 feature reassembly

An empirical study of L2 acquisition of Chinese and Thai collective markers

| Beijing Normal University
| University of Cambridge

This article reports an empirical study investigating L2 acquisition of the Mandarin Chinese collective marker -men by adult Thai-speaking learners and the Thai collective marker phûak- by adult Chinese-speaking learners within the framework of the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis (Lardiere, 2009a, 2009b). An acceptability judgment test was administered to learners with beginning, intermediate and advanced proficiencies of Chinese and Thai (n = 114) as well as native speaker controls (n = 30). The results reveal a facilitating role of positive evidence in L2 feature reassembly as Chinese learners who are exposed to positive evidence of “phûak + animal noun” and “phûak + indefinite noun” structures in their Thai input perform native-like on these structures from an intermediate level onward. On the other hand, feature reassembly is hindered when positive evidence is unavailable as in the case of Thai learners of Chinese where no evidence they receive in the input shows ungrammaticality of “animal noun + men” and “indefinite noun + men” structures in Chinese. These learners mostly fail to perform native-like even at an advanced level.

Keywords: L2 acquisition, feature reassembly, positive evidence, indirect negative evidence, Chinese, Thai, collective markers
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Collective markers in Chinese and Thai
  • 3.L2 acquisition
    • 3.1Feature reassembly
    • 3.2Positive and indirect negative evidence
  • 4.Experimental study
    • 4.1Research questions and predictions
    • 4.2Participants
    • 4.3Tasks
    • 4.4Materials
    • 4.5Procedures
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Methods of data analysis
    • 5.2Acquisition of animacy restrictions on collective markers
    • 5.3Acquisition of the definiteness restriction on collective markers
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Answers to research questions and validating predictions
    • 6.2Positive evidence and the notion of “detectability” in FRH
    • 6.3Indirect negative evidence
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 5 February 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jsls.00011.pra
References
Aoun, J., & Li, Y. A.
(2003) Essays on the representational and derivational nature of grammar: The diversity of wh-constructions. The MIT Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boyd, J. K., & Goldberg, A. E.
(2011) Learning what not to say: The role of statistical preemption and categorization in a-adjective production. Language, 87(1), 55–83. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bruton, A.
(2000) What exactly are positive and negative evidence in SLA? RELC Journal, 31(2), 120–133. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Carroll, S. E.
(2007) Autonomous induction theory. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 155–200). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
(1999) Putting ‘input’ in its proper place. Second Language Research, 15(4), 337–388. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chao, Y.-R.
(1968) A grammar of spoken Chinese. University of California Press.Google Scholar
Chen, G.
(1987) Guān yú “men” yǔ “-s” [On “men” and “-s”]. Fùdàn Xuébào (Shèhuì Kēxué Bǎn) [Journal of Fudan University (Social Science)], 51, 30–34.Google Scholar
Chomsky, N.
(1981) Lectures on government and binding: The Pisa lectures. Foris.Google Scholar
(1986) Barriers. The MIT Press.Google Scholar
(1995) The Minimalist Program. The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Clark, A., & Lappin, S.
(2009) Another look at indirect negative evidence. In Proceedings of the EACL 2009 workshop on cognitive aspects of computational language acquisition (pp. 26–33). Association for Computational Linguistics. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.
(2004) The definition and measurement of L2 explicit knowledge. Language Learning, 54(2), 227–275. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2009) Implicit and explicit learning, knowledge and instruction. In R. Ellis, S. Loewen, C. Elder, H. Reinders, R. Erlam, & J. Philp (Eds.), Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching (pp. 3–25). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fischer, S., Kupisch, T., & Rinke, K.
(2016) Introduction. In S. Fischer, T. Kupisch, & K. Rinke (Eds.), Definiteness effects: Bilingual, typological and diachronic variation (pp. 1–22). Cambridge Scholars.Google 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(3), 371–402. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gass, S., & Selinker, L.
(2008) Second language acquisition: An introductory course (3rd ed.). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, A. E.
(2016) Partial productivity of linguistic constructions: Dynamic categorization and statistical preemption. Language and Cognition, 81, 369–390. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, A. E., & Boyd, J. K.
(2015) A-adjectives, statistical preemption, and the evidence: Reply to Yang (2015). Language, 91(4), 184–197. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hsieh, M.-L.
(2008) The internal structure of noun phrases in Chinese. Crane Publishing.Google Scholar
Hsu, A., & Griffiths, T. L.
(2016) Sampling assumptions affect use of indirect negative evidence in language learning. PLoS ONE, 11(6): e0156597. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hsu, J.-L.
(1994) Englishization and language change in modern Chinese in Taiwan. World Englishes, 131, 167–84. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Huang, C.-T. J.
(1987) Existential sentences in Chinese and (in)definiteness. In E. J. Reuland & A. G. B. ter Meulen (Eds.), The representation of (in)definiteness (pp. 226–253). The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Huang, C.-T. J., Li, Y. A., & Li, Y.
(2009) The syntax of Chinese. Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Iljic, R.
(1994) Quantification in Mandarin Chinese: Two markers of plurality. Linguistics, 321, 91–116. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Inagaki, S.
(2001) Motion verbs with goal PPs in the L2 acquisition of English and Japanese. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 23(2), 153–170. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ionin, T., & Montrul, S.
(2010) The role of L1 transfer in the interpretation of articles with definite plurals in L2 English. Language Learning, 60(4), 877–925. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jenks, P. S. E.
(2011) The hidden structure of Thai noun phrases (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Harvard University.Google Scholar
Keating, G. D., & Jegerski, J.
(2015) Experimental designs in sentence processing research: A methodological review and user’s guide. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(1), 1–32. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Krashen, S. D.
(1982) Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Lado, R.
(1957) Linguistics across cultures: Applied linguistics for language teachers. University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Lardiere, D.
(2007) Acquiring (or assembling) functional categories in second language acquisition. In Proceedings of the 2nd conference on generative approaches to language acquisition North America (GALANA) (pp. 233–244). Cascadilla Proceedings Project.Google Scholar
(2008) Feature-assembly in second language acquisition. In J. Liceras, H. Zobl, & H. Goodluck (Eds.), The role of formal features in second language acquisition (pp. 106–140). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
(2009a) Some thoughts on a contrastive analysis of features in second language acquisition. Second Language Research, 25(2), 173–227. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2009b) Further thoughts on parameters and features in second language acquisition: A reply to peer comments on Lardiere’s ‘Some thoughts on the contrastive analysis of features in second language acquisition’ in SLR 25(2). Second Language Research, 25(3), 409–422. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lee, E., & Lardiere, D.
(2016) L2 acquisition of number marking in Korean and Indonesian: A feature-based approach. In D. Stringer, J. Garrett, B. Halloran, & S. Mossman (Eds.), Proceedings of the 13th generative approaches to second language acquisition conference (GASLA 2015) (pp. 113–123). Cascadilla Proceedings Project.Google Scholar
Lee, E.
(2015) L2 acquisition of number marking: A bidirectional study of adult learners of Korean and Indonesian (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Georgetown University.Google Scholar
Li, Y. A.
(1999) Plurality in a classifier language. Journal of East Asian Linguistics, 8(1), 75–99. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Liu, L.
(2003) Duì “men” shǐ yòng fàn wéi de kǎo chá [The usage scope of “men”]. Běi Fāng Lùn Cóng [The Northern Forum], 41, 114–117.Google Scholar
Lü, S.
(2002a) Lǚ Shū Xiāng quán jí dì 01 juàn: Zhōngguó wénfǎ yàoluè [Complete works by Lü Shuxiang, Volume 01: Outline of Chinese grammar]. Liaoning Education Press.Google Scholar
(2002b) Lǚ Shū Xiāng quán jí dì 05 juàn: Xiàndài hànyǔ bābǎi cí [Complete works by Lü Shuxiang, Volume 5: Eight hundred words in Modern Chinese]. Liaoning Education Press.Google Scholar
Maftoon, P., & Esfandiari, L. T.
(2015) Carroll’s Autonomous Induction Theory: Combining views from UG and information processing theories. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 6(2), 423–428. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mai, Z., & Yuan, B.
(2016) Uneven reassembly of tense, telicity and discourse features in L2 acquisition of the Chinese shì … de cleft construction by adult English speakers. Second Language Research, 32(2), 247–276. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Norman, J.
(1988) Chinese. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Pearl, L. S., & Mis, B.
(2016) The role of indirect positive evidence in syntactic acquisition: A look at anaphoric one. Language, 92(1), 1–30. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Piriyawiboon, N.
(2010) Classifiers and determiner-less languages: The case of Thai (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Toronto.Google Scholar
Pullum, G. K., & Scholz, B. C.
(2002) Empirical assessment of stimulus poverty arguments. The Linguistic Review, 191, 9–50Google Scholar
Rebuschat, P.
(2013) Measuring implicit and explicit knowledge in second language research. Language Learning, 63(3), 595–626. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saffran, J. R.
(2003) Statistical language learning: Mechanisms and constraints. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(4), 110–114. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Safir, K.
(1982) Syntactic chains and the definiteness effect (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Google Scholar
Schwartz, B. D., & Sprouse, R. A.
(1996) L2 cognitive states and the Full Transfer-Full Access model. Second Language Research, 12(1), 40–72. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Slabakova, R., Leal, T. L., & Liskin-Gasparro, J.
(2014) We have moved on: Current concepts and positions in Generative SLA. Applied Linguistics, 35(5), 601–606. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Smith, M. S.
(2013) Only connect: The interface debate in second language acquisition. In K. Drozdział-Szelest & M. Pawlak (Eds.), Psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives on second language learning and teaching, second language learning and teaching: Studies in honor of Waldemar Marton (pp. 37–39). Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sorace, A.
(2011) Pinning down the concept of “interface” in bilingualism. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 1(1), 1–33. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tang, C.-C. J.
(2004) Two types of classifier languages: A typological study of classification markers in Paiwan noun phrases. Language and Linguistics, 5(2), 377–407.Google Scholar
Tien, Y.-M., Tzeng, O. J. L., & Hung, D. L.
(2002) Hànyǔ fènlèicí de yǔyì yǔ rènzhī jīchǔ: Gōngnéng yǔfǎ guāndiǎn [Semantic and cognitive basis of Chinese classifiers: A functional approach]. Language and Linguistics, 3(1), 101–132.Google Scholar
Trahey, M.
(1996) Positive evidence in second language acquisition: Some long-term effects. Second Language Research, 12(2), 111–139. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Trapman, M., & Kager, R.
(2009) The acquisition of subset and superset phonotactic knowledge in a second language. Language Acquisition, 16(3), 178–221. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Treffers-Daller, J., & Calude, A.
(2015) The role of statistical learning in acquisition of motion event construal in a second language. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 18(5), 602–623. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
VanPatten, B., & Benati, A. G.
(2010) Key terms in second language acquisition. Bloomsbury.Google Scholar
Wang, H.
(2000) “zhǐwù míngcí + men” shì nǐrén yòngfǎ ma? [Is “object noun+men” a personified usage?]. Lángfāng Shīzhuān Xuébào [Journal of Langfang Teachers University], 11, 30–31.Google Scholar
White, L.
(2003) Second language acquisition and Universal Grammar. Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yang, C.
(2015) Negative knowledge from positive evidence. Language, 91(4), 938–953. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yang, H. S.-F.
(2005) Plurality and modification in Mandarin nominal phrases (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Texas at Austin.Google Scholar
Yuan, B., & Dugarova, E.
(2012) Wh-topicalization at the syntax-discourse interface in English speakers’ L2 Chinese grammars. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 34(4), 533–560. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yuan, B.
(2014) ‘Wh-on-earth’ in Chinese speakers’ L2 English: Evidence of dormant features. Second Language Research, 30(4), 515–549. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Y.
(2001) “N” + “men” de xuǎnzé xiànzhì yǔ “N men” de biǎoyì gōngyòng [The selective restrictions of “N + men” and the expressive functions of “N men ”]. zhōngguó Yǔwén [Chinese Language], 31, 201–211.Google Scholar
Zyzik, E.
(2009) The role of input revisited: Nativist versus usage-based models. L2 Journal, 1(1), 42–61. DOI logoGoogle Scholar