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A cross-theoretical and cross-linguistic perspective on the L2 acquisition of case systems / L'acquisition de systèmes casuels en L2 : des études à travers plusieurs théories et langues
Edited by Kristof Baten and Saartje Verbeke
[Language, Interaction and Acquisition 11:1] 2020
► pp. 32–67

The emergence of functional case marking in initial varieties of Polish L2

| University of Bergamo
| University of Paris 8 | UMR7023 - SFL

This paper addresses the acquisition of L2 inflectional morphology after only a few hours of exposure. Eighty-nine participants with five different L1s and no experience of the L2 took part in a specially designed 14-hour L2 Polish course, during which they were tested on their developing morphosyntactic skills at various times. The present paper uses a Comprehension task and an Elicited Imitation task to probe learners’ ability to use nominative and accusative case markings to infer and express the subject and object. The study is designed to isolate variables such as the task employed to elicit L2 data, target sentence word order, time of exposure to the L2 input, and learners’ L1. The results show that while the majority of learners stick to a word order principle, some managed to identify and systematically apply the target-like use of inflectional morphology. Various intermediate strategies make it possible to identify a hierarchy of task difficulty. Both time of exposure and the learner’s L1 proved to be significant predictors of performance.

Keywords: morphosyntax, case marking, functionalism, initial SLA, word order, Polish, elicited imitation task
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical background
    • 2.1L2 case marking and word order in comprehension and production
    • 2.2Input in SLA
    • 2.3Crosslinguistic influence
    • 2.4Research questions
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1The VILLA project
    • 3.2Input in the VILLA project
    • 3.3Target language and target structure
    • 3.4Participants and L1s
    • 3.5Materials and procedure
      • 3.5.1The elicited imitation task
      • 3.5.2The comprehension task
    • 3.6Procedure
    • 3.7Scoring
  • 4.Research questions and hypotheses
    • 4.1H1: Task
    • 4.2H2: Word order
    • 4.3H3: Input exposure
    • 4.4H4: L1
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Time 1
    • 5.2Time 2
    • 5.3Developmental patterns
    • 5.4Inferential statistics
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Task
    • 6.2Word order
      • 6.2.1Word order and rote repetition in the EIT
    • 6.3Input exposure
    • 6.4L1
    • 6.5Limitations of the study and future directions of research
    • 6.6Appropriateness of the tasks and ecological validity
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 4 June 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lia.00007.sat
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