English Inversion in Second Language Acquisition of German Native Speakers

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• ABSTRACT
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• LIST OF FIGURES
• LIST OF TABLES
• ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
• I INTRODUCTION
• I. Preamble
• 1.2 Review of related studies
• 1.3 Explicit Hypotheses and scope of the study
• 2 SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
• 2.1 History and theories of SLA
• 2.1.1 The Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis
• 2.1.2 Error Analysis
• 2.1.3 The Interlanguage Hypothesis
• 2.1.4 The Monitor Model
• 2.2 Reappraising transfer
• 3 TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF INVERSION
• 3.1 Inversion types in English
• 3.2 Theoretical preliminaries
• 3.3 Inversion in English and in German
• 3.4 Summary
• METHOD
• 4.1 Participants
• 4.1.1 Learner-based factors
• 4.1.2 Language-based factors
• 4.2 Material
• 4.2.1 Questionnaire I
• 4.2.2 Questionnaire 2
• 4.2.3 Questionnaire 3
• 4.3 Procedure
• 4.4 Coding issues
• 5 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS
• 5.1 Learner judgements of negative inversion
• 5.2 Learner judgements of locative inversion with different semantic values of its initial PP
• 5.3 Learner judgements of locative inversion with varying degrees of subject complexity
• 5.4 Discussion
• 6 CONCLUSION
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX
• DEUTSCHE ZUSAMMENFASSUNG DER ARBEIT

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This study investigates the influence of the native language on the judgements of German-speaking learners of English, focusing on the concept of language transfer. Specifically, it examines the acceptability of inversion structures in English, which are less frequent than in German, where they are common. The study aims to understand how learners perceive and judge these structures, and to analyze the potential influence of their native language background.

• Language transfer and its influence on second language acquisition
• The role of inversion structures in English and German
• The perception and acceptability of inversion structures by German-speaking learners of English
• The impact of learner factors (e.g., proficiency level, learning experience) on judgements of inversion structures
• The relationship between the frequency of inversion in the native and target language

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The study begins with an introduction that reviews existing research on language transfer and provides a detailed overview of inversion structures in English and German. It outlines the study's hypotheses and methodology. Chapter 2 delves into the history and theories of second language acquisition (SLA), including the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, Error Analysis, the Interlanguage Hypothesis, and the Monitor Model. Chapter 3 focuses on understanding inversion structures in both English and German. It provides a comprehensive analysis of different types of inversion in English and examines their theoretical underpinnings. The "METHOD" section outlines the research design, including the participants, materials, procedure, and coding issues. The "ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS" section presents the findings of the study, examining learner judgements of negative inversion, locative inversion with varying semantic values and subject complexities. Finally, the conclusion summarizes the key findings and discusses the implications of the study.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This study focuses on the key concepts of second language acquisition, language transfer, inversion structures, grammatical judgments, and learner proficiency. It examines how these concepts interact and influence the learning process, specifically in the context of German native speakers learning English. The study utilizes empirical data from questionnaires to analyze learner perceptions of inversion structures and the potential impact of their native language background. This research delves into the complexities of language learning and the role of cross-linguistic influence in shaping grammatical judgments.