第二语言习得中英语定冠词过度使用研究

A study of the overgeneralization in second language acquisition

英语定冠词过度使用是二语习得中的一个普遍现象。本文分析了实指性定指、实指性非定指和非实指性非定指这三种指称类型冠词语义的复杂程度,并对三类冠词用法的习得难易度作了区分。在理论分析基础上所开展的实证调查中,三组不同英语程度的中国学生接受了一项冠词知识测试。数据分析显示,定冠词过度使用与冠词语义的复杂程度密切相关,主要出现于实指性非定指这一指称类型中。

Overgeneralization regarding the use of the English article the is a ubiquitous phenomenon in SLA for Chinese-speaking learners of English. An analysis shows that three context types of article use (i.e. specific definite, specific indefinite and unspecific indefinite) involve differential complexity of semantic interrelations, which relates to the ease or difficulty in the acquisition of these context types. In an empirical investigation based on this analysis, three groups of Chinese learners of English were tested on their knowledge of the. Results show that article semantics bears on the phenomenon of the overgeneralization and that such overgeneralization mainly occurs in the specific indefinite context.