中国英语学习者BE动词的习得规律

An Empirical Study of Chinese EFL Learners' Acquisition of BE

本项研究旨在揭示中国英语学习者习得动词be的规律。我们通过测试初级、中级、高级英语水平学习者动词be三种句法功能的使用情况,并对测试结果进行分析,发现中国英语学习者动词be的习得有以下特点:1)初级水平学习者已经较好地掌握了主动词be,且个体差异较小;2)初级阶段半助动词be的掌握较差,随着L2语言水平的提高,掌握程度逐渐上升,高级阶段则已基本掌握好这一用法,但是个体差异比较明显;3)初级水平者助动词be的习得较差,中级水平者则已掌握比较简单的助动词be结构,高级水平者的掌握程度较高,但仍然没有完全习得复杂结构中助动词be的用法。我们认为,be三类不同句法属性决定了其习得难度和程度,即助动词的用法最复杂,因而习得最差,半助动词次之,主动词be的习得与其他主动词一样,句法操作上具有相通之处。

This paper is a study of the development pattern of Chinese EFL learners＇ acquisition of BE. Our One-way ANOVA analysis of the overall performance of the three groups of subjects demonstrates that the acquisition of BE by the beginner-level group, the intermediate-level group and the advanced-level group is characterized by the following： 1） that even the beginner-learners have a fair command of the main verb BE with small individual differences, not to say the other two higher-level learners; 2） that, in contrast with the main verb BE, beginner-learners＇ command of the semi-auxiliary BE is poor, with the acquisition of the semi-auxiliary BE developing positively with the improve- ment of the L2 proficiency ; and that advanced learners have a fairly good command of the semi-auxiliary in spite of ap- parent individual differences; and 3） that while beginner-learners have a poor command of the auxiliary BE, intermediate-level learners have acquired AUX BE in simple constructions and advanced learners have a much better command of AUX BE, with BE in complex constructions still posing a difficulty for all these learners. It is assumed that the syntactic property of the three ＂BEs＂ determines their degree of acquisition difficulty, with AUX BE;Semi-AUX BE 〉Main Verb BE in L2 acquisition.