类型学视角下中国学习者英语词类习得发展研究

On the Development of L2 Word Class Acquisition by Chinese EFL Learners from the Perspective of Typology

本研究基于英、汉语类型差异考察了不同阶段的中国学习者英语词类习得的发展情况。调查发现:二语词类偏误随着学习者英语水平的提高呈现出先从少到多增长,再由多到少下降的发展轨迹。低级水平学习者(即高中学生)虽然受母语迁移的影响词类习得存在问题,但是由于他们产出词汇量较小,客观上降低了词类偏误发生的几率;中级水平学习者(即大学非英语专业学生)处于词汇快速增长期,学习者的认知和记忆负担随之加重,新增大量词汇知识的不完备以及根深蒂固的母语迁移影响使得词类习得问题充分暴露出来,导致了较多词类偏误的发生;高级水平学习者(即大学英语专业学生)的元语言意识明显增强,对于英语词类的形态变化和句法功能知识掌握得更加扎实完备,而对母语的依赖逐渐减轻,从而使得词类偏误显著降低。基于以上发现,本研究对英语词类教学提出了相应指导建议。

This study examined the development trajectory of L2 word class acquisition by Chinese EFL learners of different L2 proficiency based on the typological differences between Chinese and English. It was found that L2 word class errors vary with the advancement of learners’ L2 proficiency. L2 word class acquisition poses difficulty to the low-level learners(high school students) due to L1 transfer, however, their limited productive vocabulary help evade the L2 word class errors to some degree. In contrast, more L2 word class errors are committed by the medium-level learners(non-English major college students), who are building up L2 vocabulary rapidly, consequently subject themselves to increasingly challenging cognitive burden and incomplete L2 word class knowledge on the one hand, and are liable to L1 transfer on the other. As to the high-level learners, they have developed stronger meta-linguistic awareness and obtained a sound L2 morphological knowledge, and outgrown the L1 transfer effects. Therefore,they made the least errors. In the light of these findings, some pedagogical suggestions are put forward to enhance the teaching efficiency of L2 word class.