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Introduction published In:
Parsing to Learn
Edited by Laurent Dekydtspotter and Claire Renaud
[Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism 4:2] 2014
► pp. 222–255
Introduction

A processing investigation of the accessibility of the uninterpretable gender feature in L2 French and L2 Spanish adjective agreement

| Arizona State University

Lardiere (2009) hypothesizes that second-language (L2) grammar development involves the reassembly of features in the constraints of Universal Grammar. Feature reassembly assumes the domain-specific Agree operation, in which an (interpretable) feature on a probing node values an uninterpretable counterpart feature on a goal node, and spell-out computations, providing morphological expression to these nodes. Because features express class membership (e.g., feminine expressions), Hawkins and Casillas (2008) proposed that agreement in non-advanced L2 acquisition may involve co-occurrence between expressions, computed presumably according to feature compatibility (e.g., Shieber, 1986). These two types of agreement computations predict distinct processing profiles and grammar-processing relations. Results from a self-paced moving-window experiment targeting overt adjective agreement in superlative constructions revealed that L1-English L2-French/Spanish learners’ profiles appear more consistent with feature valuation. Form sensitivity lagged behind computational ability in low-proficiency learners, suggesting that L2 grammar acquisition is subserved by a universal parsing mechanism (e.g., Dekydtspotter, 2001; Schwartz, 1999).

Keywords: L2 processing, gender, agreement, features, L2 French, L2 Spanish
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Features and L2 representations
    • 2.1Proposal 1: Gender feature in associations
    • 2.2Proposal 2: Gender feature in the computational system for human language (CHL)
  • 3.The studies
    • 3.1Predictions
    • 3.2L1 English-L2 French
      • 3.2.1Participants
      • 3.2.2Materials and procedures
      • 3.2.3Analysis
      • 3.2.4Results
      • 3.2.5French study: Discussion
    • 3.3L1 English-L2 Spanish
      • 3.3.1Participants
      • 3.3.2Materials
      • 3.3.3Procedures and analysis
      • 3.3.4Results
      • 3.3.5Spanish pilot study: Discussion
  • 4.General discussion
  • 5.Conclusion and perspectives
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 27 May 2014
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.4.2.04ren
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