中国英语学习者隐性知识和显性知识发展研究

Chinese English learners' attainment of implicit knowledge and explicit knowledge

为了更好地了解中国英语学习者隐性知识和显性知识发展的特点,本研究采用目标词监控方法,以关系从句中的代词冗余和关系词省略不当为目标结构,以英语母语使用者对违例句所包含错误的感知为基准参照,探讨居住在国外的高级英语学习者隐性知识发展的特点,以纸笔不限时语法判断测量显性知识。结果发现,在代词冗余错误上,母语使用者与中国英语学习者的语法敏感度指标(对语法违例句和正确句反应时间差)都不显著,这可能反映了句子加工过程中受试趋向降解结构复杂度的认知共性;关系词省略不当错误方面,英语学习者的语法敏感度指标随在目的语国家居住时长的增加而不断靠近母语使用者。据此推测,二语学习者有可能发展出与母语使用者同样的隐性知识。而显性知识发展状态则比较稳定。

This study assays Chinese English learners’ grammatical sensitivity to resumptive pronouns and inappropriate omission of relative pronouns in English relativization, with native speakers as the baseline data. The word-monitoring results show that resumptive pronouns do not lead to latency in grammatical sensitivity index, which reveals the tendency to reduce structural complexity in online sentence parsing and processing among all the subjects. Inappropriate omission of relative pronouns leads to latency for native speakers in their reaction time but quickens L2 learners’ response. A significant correlation is found between L2 learners’ grammatical sensitivity index and length of residence. It is likely that L2 learners can finally attain native-like implicit knowledge in the long run. Their explicit knowledge does not change with length of residence.