L2 Syntactic Alignment in the Reading-Writing Integrated Continuation Task: Evidence From Chinese EFL Learners’ Description of Motion Events

This study investigated how the mode in which the reading-writing integrated continuation task was conducted modulates the effects of second language(L2) syntactic alignment, through the English motion event construction with manner verbs. Ninety Chinese students were assigned to either of the two experimental groups or a control group, and they all experienced a pretest, an alignment phase and a posttest. In the alignment phase, the two experimental groups completed a reading-writing integrated continuation task but in different modes. For the multi-turn mode,participants reconstructed a picture story by continuing the episodes extracted from the story with one episode presented and continued at a time;for the single-turn mode, the first half of the same picture story was presented as a chunk, and then participants read and continued it. Results show that L2 learners aligned with the target structure in completing the story, and the alignment effect was retained in the posttest conducted after a delay of two weeks. Moreover, syntactic alignment was modulated by task mode with the multi-turn group exhibiting stronger immediate and longterm alignment effects. We conclude that the continuation task is a fruitful context for L2 structural alignment, and the magnitude of alignment effect hinges on interactive intensity.

L3 French Conceptual Transfer in the Acquisition of L2 English Motion Events among Native Chinese Speakers

The theory of conceptual transfer investigates the extent to which the perception of a previously learned language influences the conceptualization of a language learned subsequently.To provide further evidence supporting such hypotheses,the present study invites three groups of native Chinese-speaking college students to finish selected language tasks with an aim to explore whether the perception of L3 French motion verbs presents itself in the acquisition of L2 English path particles.All three participating groups have learned English as L2 and reached intermediate level,with one group being Chinese majors and the other two specializing in French with different proficiency levels.The findings suggest L3 would exhibit negative transfer in the acquisition of motion events in L2 English.Based on the analysis of participants’retrospective data and the comparison between Chinese group and French groups,the nature of such transfer is claimed to be conceptual.Results also reveal L3 proficiency exerts no influence on conceptual transfer.

A Comparison of Path Encoding in English and Chinese

English and Chinese both belong to satellite-flamed languages in lexicalizing motion events. However, they are not entirely identical in Path encoding. Path comprises Vector, Conformation, and Deictic. Vector comprises Arrival, Departure and Traversal. English and Chinese use different forms （prepositions vs. verbs） to represent Traversal. The Arrival component in Chinese can denote ＂realized arrival＂ while that in English cannot. English is not fine-grained as Chinese in the specification of Conformation. The use of Deictic in Chinese is more pervasive than that in English. Satellite elements in English are realized as particles and prepositions while those in Chinese are realized as directional verbs.