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Part of
Cross-linguistic Influence in Bilingualism: In honor of Aafke Hulk
Edited by Elma Blom, Leonie Cornips and Jeannette Schaeffer
[Studies in Bilingualism 52] 2017
► pp. 231–258

Complexity and production/comprehension asymmetries in the acquisition of wh-questions in French

Comparing second language acquisition and language impairment in children

| Imagerie et cerveau Inserm 930, Université François Rabelais, Tours
| Imagerie et cerveau Inserm 930, Université François Rabelais, Tours
| Regional University Hospital Center (CHRU), Tours
| Regional University Hospital Center (CHRU), Tours

Assuming that production places a greater burden on processing than comprehension, this study explores the hypothesis that both the degree of linguistic computational complexity entailed in a particular structure and the processing capacity of the speakers determine if and when production/comprehension asymmetries will surface. Elicited production and comprehension of French wh-questions were studied in 29 English-speaking children acquiring French as a second language (L2) and 27 French-speaking children with Specific Language Impairment, aged 6 to 12. Results confirm the hypothesis and underline the fundamental role of complexity in language acquisition, pointing to implications for the effects of first language transfer, age of onset and length of exposure in L2 acquisition, and on differences between children with and without language pathology.

Keywords: child L2 acquisition, computational complexity, French, length of exposure, processing capacity, production-comprehension asymmetry (asymmetries), Specific Language Impairment, transfer/L1 transfer wh-questions, working memory
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.French wh-questions
    • 2.1French wh-questions and the DCM
    • 2.2French Wh-questions and the issues of norm and frequency
  • 3.Acquisition of wh-question strategies
  • 4.Research questions
  • 5.The study
    • 5.1Participants
    • 5.2Tasks
      • 5.2.1Standardized tests
      • 5.2.2Experimental tasks
  • 6.Results
    • 6.1Production
      • 6.1.1Wh-fronting vs. in situ (in non-subject questions)
      • 6.1.2Wh-fronting strategies
    • 6.2Comprehension
    • 6.3Correlation analyses in the L2 data
  • 7.Discussion and conclusion
    • 7.1Frequency in production of wh-strategies and computational complexity
    • 7.2Production-comprehension symmetries and asymmetries
    • 7.3L2 factors and computational complexity
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 19 December 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.52.11pre
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