Optionality and overgeneralisation patterns in second language acquisition: Where has the expletive ensconced «it»self?

Table Of Contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• About the author
• About the book
• This eBook can be cited
• 1. Editorial
• 2. Editorial
• 3. Editorial
• Abstract
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Contents
• 1. Introduction
• 1.1 Addressing the object of enquiry
• 1.1.1 The two (pivotal) “WHYs” in this book
• 1.2 Outline
• 2. Argument licensing and voice alternations
• 2.1 Theoretical background
• 2.1.1 Argument licensing, argument structure and voice alternations
• 2.1.2 Is the subject an argument of its verb?
• 2.2 Unaccusativity
• 2.2.1 Unaccusative morphology and syntax: Form vs. structure
• 2.2.2 Argument structure in passives and other unaccusatives
• 2.2.3 So who (or what) is the subject of impersonals?
• 2.3 Case and agreement in impersonals
• 2.3.1 Default agreement and morphological underspecification in impersonals
• 2.3.2 ACC licensing and CAUSE/VOICE parameterisation
• 2.3.3. Case/DP licensing in impersonals
• 2.4 Chapter summary
• 3. Previous L2 research: An overview
• 3.1 L1A vs. L2A
• 3.2 UG or not UG?
• 3.3 Syntactic impairment in L2A?
• 3.3.1 The L2A of IMPPASS
• 3.4 Underspecification and morphological deficits
• 3.4.1 Further evidence: Underspecification in L1A
• 3.5 L2 straddling the interfaces
• 3.5.1 The Interface Hypothesis: an outline
• 3.5.2 Reconciling facts and fitting them into theory: First step
• 3.6 Chapter summary
• 4. Parametric variation
• 4.1 On the EPP and expletives
• 4.2 Pro-drop
• 4.3 Impersonals, passives, and voice alternations cross-linguistically
• 4.3.1 Russian impersonals
• 4.3.2 German impersonals
• 4.3.3 L1s in the ‘L2 GE’ study
• 4.3.3.1 Slavic impersonals
• 4.3.3.2 Romance impersonals
• 4.3.3.3 Chinese
• 4.3.4 Interim summary
• 4.4 Parameters and clustering effects in the languages under investigation
• 4.5 The L2A of arguments and voice alternations: Research questions and hypotheses
• 4.6 Chapter summary
• 5. Two studies
• 5.1 Methodology, informants, and data elicitation
• 5.1.1 The cloze test
• 5.1.2 The Grammaticality Judgement Task
• 5.1.3 Data acquisition and informants
• 5.2 ‘L2 GE’ and ‘L2 RU’ tests: Description
• 5.2.1 The ‘L2 GE test’
• 5.2.2 The ‘L2 RU test’
• 5.3 Statistical evaluation – technical details
• 5.3.1 The Null Hypothesis
• 5.4 Results
• 5.4.1 ‘L2 German’ findings
• 5.4.1.1 Mixed data evaluation across levels of L2 GE proficiency
• 5.4.1.2 Parameter-based evaluation
• 5.4.2 ‘L2 Russian’ findings
• 5.4.2.1 Data evaluation across levels of acquisition
• 5.5 Chapter summary
• 6. Discussion: On the complexities of L2 syntax
• 6.1 The nature of L2 knowledge
• 6.1.1 Argument and event structure in L2A
• 6.1.2 Impersonal constructions in L2A: syntax, semantics, and discourse
• 6.1.3 On zero, bound, and free pronouns: Referentiality in L2A
• 6.1.4 The L2A of empty categories and expletives
• 6.1.5 Case and agreement in L2A
• 6.1.6 Interim summary
• 6.2 Exploring and explaining optionality in interlanguage grammars
• 6.2.1 The dynamics of linguistic knowledge: Native speakers’ vs. L2ers’ judgements
• 6.2.2 Phases, functional domains, L1 transfer, interfaces: Which one is responsible for the variability in L2A?
• 6.2.2.1 Phases and functional domains
• 6.2.2.2 L1 transfer and positive evidence
• 6.2.2.3 Interfaces
• 6.3 L2 morpho-syntax
• 6.3.1 Representational deficits in light of the principle of Underspecification and linguistic defaults
• 6.3.2 Overgeneralisation in L2A and learner defaults
• 6.3.3 (Anti)causatives, impersonals, and (non-)canonical patterns in L2A
• 6.4 Chapter summary
• 7. Concluding remarks
• References
• Appendix A: ‘L2 GE test’
• Appendix B: ‘L2 RU test’
• Appendix C: Answers