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Part of
Generative SLA in the Age of Minimalism: Features, interfaces, and beyond
Edited by Tania Leal, Elena Shimanskaya and Casilde A. Isabelli
[Language Acquisition and Language Disorders 67] 2022
► pp. 191–212

The role of L1 Norwegian and L2 English in the acquisition of verb placement in L3 German

| NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
| NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
| University of Oslo

Focusing on the much-debated question of transfer from previously learned languages in L3 acquisition, we investigate acquisition of finite verb placement in L3 German. Participants are L1 Norwegian high-school students with L2 English, in years 1, 2, 4, and 5 of German instruction. Norwegian and German have V2 word order, while English does not. Participants completed acceptability judgments in L3 German and L2 English. Results show no clear preference for either V2 or non-V2 in German in the earliest learners, but later development towards target-like intuitions. Target-like L2 English judgments do not seem to be associated with more transfer from L2 to L3 of a given structure, and higher L2 proficiency does not predict more L2 transfer to L3.

Keywords: word order, verb placement, V2, second language, third language, acquisition, transfer Norwegian, English, German
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical background
    • 2.1Transfer in L2 and L3 word order
    • 2.2Verb placement in Norwegian, English and German
  • 3.Research questions and predictions
    • 3.1Research questions
    • 3.2Predictions
  • 4.Method
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2Materials and procedure
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1L3 German
    • 5.2L2 English
    • 5.3Relationship between L2 English and L3 German
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 17 August 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.67.08dah
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Cited by 1 other publications

Busterud, Guro, Anne Dahl, Dave Kush & Kjersti Faldet Listhaug
2023. Verb placement in L3 French and L3 German. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism 13:5 ► pp. 693 ff. DOI logo

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