中国英语学习者论元结构过度泛化中的固着和前摄作用

Entrenching and preempting mechanisms in Chinese EFL learners’ argument structure overgeneralizations

本研究通过对致使移动构式过度泛化句的可接受性判断任务,调查了固着频率、前摄频率和语言水平对中国英语学习者论元结构过度泛化的的影响。结果显示:过度泛化中不存在独立的固着效应;而前摄效应相对明显,但作用方向与前摄假说相左,且受到固着频率的强化;各水平学习者对过度泛化句的接受度普遍较高,且以高水平学习者为最。因为固着假说存在理论缺陷;二语学习者缺乏前摄抑制机制的基础条件,只关注于前摄结构和对应过度泛化之间的语义关联性而忽略了区别性;且语义关联意识会随着语言水平的发展而逐步深化。

Using an acceptability judgment task of overgeneralized instances of the caused-motion construction, the present study investigates the influences of entrenching frequency, preempting frequency and L2 proficiency on Chinese EFL learners’ argument structure overgeneralizations. The results indicate that 1) there is no independent entrenching effect in overgeneralizations, 2) the preempting effect is relatively strong, but it conflicts with the Preemption Hypothesis in terms of the effect direction and is intensified by entrenching frequency, 3) the acceptability is judged relatively high in general, especially by the advanced learners. Such results are attributed to that 1) there exists a theoretical defect in the Entrenchment Hypothesis, 2) L2 learners lack of both basic prerequisites for the preempting mechanism and they only focus on the semantic associations but not on the distinctions between the preempting-overgeneralized structure pairs, 3) while the awareness of the semantic associations is raised as their language proficiency increases.