中国学生对英语反身代词局部约束性及宾语代词有形性习得的实验研究

L2 acquisition of the local binding characteristics of English reflexives and the obligatory status of English objects by Chinese-speaking learners

本文考察了具有高级英语水平的中国学生在英语反身代词和宾语代词两个领域的习得。实验结果表明,他们对反身代词局部约束性的掌握远好于对宾语代词有形性的掌握。这一现象可以通过语法分析理论得到解释:参数的重新设定要靠语言依据来激活;如果二语输入中缺少能够激活参数值重新设定的语言依据,那么即使处在高级英语水平阶段,二语学习者的中介语依然会呈现母语的参数值特征。

The present study investigated L2 acquisition of English reflexives and objects by advanced proficiency Chinese-speaking learners.A story-based truth-value judgment task was administered to 62 advanced proficiency Chinese-speaking learners of English.It was found that the local binding characteristics of English reflexives were acquired with greater ease than the obligatory status of English objects.This can be accounted for by assuming that the L2 learners have adopted the L1 grammar as the initial interlanguage grammar.Whether or not resetting is possible relates to whether triggering evidence is available.In the case of reflexive binding,evidence in the input in the form of the polymorphemic nature of English reflexives,non-subject binding,and overt AGR(eement)morphology triggers an awareness of local binding of English reflexives,hence restructuring took place.In the case of null objects,however,the absence of suitable triggers in the L2 input eliminates any motivation for resetting.Hence,L2 learners' L1 setting may persist even into the advanced stage.