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Article published In:
Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism
Vol. 10:5 (2020) ► pp.657–689

The acquisition of L3 variation among early bilinguals

The roles of L2 experience, home language and linguistic factors

ORCID logo | National University of Singapore
| National University of Singapore

The present study investigates whether prior experience with formal study of an L2 influences L3 Korean learners’ Type 1 variation (i.e., use of obligatory forms) and Type 2 variation (i.e., variation between alternative acceptable variants). The patterns of variation in Korean argument realization of early bilingual learners (English-Chinese/Malay/Indonesian/Tamil) of L3 Korean were assessed in light of the distribution of variants present in classroom input, learners’ prior L2 learning experience and home language background, argument animacy and number, and familiarity of verb structure type.

Our findings demonstrate that prior experience with a typologically-similar L2 facilitates acquisition of grammatical patterns as well as acquisition of native-like patterns of variation between grammatical forms that are constrained by a range of internal linguistic factors. Any L2 experience, regardless of typological proximity, is found to facilitate acquisition of internal linguistic constraints, but not acquisition of grammatical patterns.

Keywords: multilingualism, variation, argument realization
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1The acquisition of variation by L2 learners
    • 2.2Studies of L3 acquisition
    • 2.3Variation in Korean argument realization
    • 2.4Rationale of the current study
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Setting
    • 3.2Participants
    • 3.3Material and data collection
    • 3.4Analysis and coding
  • 4.Results: Type 2 variation
    • 4.1Overall distribution of CI and learner variants
    • 4.2Internal and external constraints on Type 2 variation
    • 4.3Typological proximity of L2
    • 4.4Home language
    • 4.5Verb type
  • 5.Results: Type 1 variation
    • 5.1Formal L2 learning experience
    • 5.2Typological proximity
    • 5.3Home language
    • 5.4Verb type
    • 5.5Animacy
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 January 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.17066.par
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