二语英语空论元不对称习失研究综述

A Review of the Studies of the Asymmetric Unlearning of English Null Subjects and Null Objects in Second Language Acquisition

空论元一直是基于生成语法理论的二语习得研究的重要内容,包括空主语和空宾语。英语空主语比空宾语更容易习失,是二语习得的一个普遍现象。本文首先对空论元理论进行了梳理并对空论元进行了跨语言比较,然后回顾和评析了目前二语英语空论元习失中对这种不对称现象的研究,并从母语迁移、目标语输入、普遍语法三个角度对英语空主语和空宾语习失的不对称现象做出了解释,最后指出该领域研究目前存在的问题,以及还可以开展的研究工作。

Null arguments,namely null subjects and null objects,have been one of the foci for the generative approach to second language research.One striking phenomenon about null arguments in English as a second language is that null subjects are easier to be unlearned than null objects.This article firstly summarizes the theories about null subjects and null objects and compares their cross-linguistic differences.Then,the previous studies of the asymmetric unlearning of null subjects and null objects in English as a second language are reviewed and analyzed.Explanations of the asymmetry are offered from the perspectives of language transfer,target inputs and Universal Grammar.Finally,the problems with the current studies and the future research in this field are pointed out.