English Inversion in Second Language Acquisition of German Native Speakers

Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 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

4 METHOD

4.1 Participants

4.1.1 Learner-based factors

4.1.2 Language-based factors

4.2 Material

4.2.1 Questionnaire 1

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

Objectives and Research Focus

This study investigates whether German-speaking learners of English demonstrate native language influence when evaluating the acceptability of various English inversion structures. By utilizing questionnaire data, the research explores whether the higher frequency and productive nature of inversion in German lead these learners to accept English structures that might otherwise be considered unacceptable by native English speakers.

• Impact of native language transfer on the judgement of English inversion.
• Role of cross-linguistic differences in markedness concerning inversion.
• Influence of locative inversion semantics on learner judgements.
• Effect of subject complexity (end-weight) on inversion acceptability.
• Analysis of learner strategies in a classroom setting without explicit instruction.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1 INTRODUCTION: Outlines the motivation for the study, specifically focusing on how German learners perceive word order variations in English, and provides a review of relevant studies.

2 SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: Provides a theoretical overview of SLA, covering the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, Error Analysis, Interlanguage, and the Monitor Model.

3 TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF INVERSION: Discusses various types of inversion in English, theoretical frameworks like the Ground-before-Figure model, and contrasts English and German word order.

4 METHOD: Describes the study's design, including participant selection, the use of acceptability judgement questionnaires, and the coding of collected data.

5 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS: Presents the findings from the questionnaires regarding negative and locative inversion, analyzing the data in relation to the initial hypotheses.

6 CONCLUSION: Summarizes the study's findings, notes practical limitations, and suggests directions for future interdisciplinary research on language transfer.

Keywords

Second Language Acquisition, SLA, Inversion, Language Transfer, Contrastive Analysis, Error Analysis, Interlanguage, Acceptability Judgement, Locative Inversion, Negative Inversion, Subject Complexity, Markedness, End-weight, Syntax, Word Order.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary goal of this research?

The study aims to determine if German-speaking learners of English transfer their native language's flexible word order tendencies—specifically regarding inversion structures—when evaluating the acceptability of English sentences.

Which inversion types are specifically examined?

The research focuses on negative inversion and locative inversion, testing learner judgements against varying semantic conditions and subject complexities.

How was the data collected?

Data was gathered through three distinct questionnaires administered to 121 German-speaking students in a classroom environment, utilizing an acceptability judgement task on a 1-4 scale.

Does explicit instruction influence the results?

The study notes that none of the participants received explicit instruction on inversion, suggesting that the observed results are likely driven by broader cognitive strategies like transfer rather than classroom teaching.

What is the role of subject complexity in the findings?

The study confirms that the principle of end-weight applies, with learners showing a higher tendency to accept inversions when the subject is complex ("heavy") compared to when it is a pronoun.

What are the main theoretical foundations of this paper?

The work draws on the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, Error Analysis, and the Interlanguage Hypothesis to ground its analysis of learner errors and language transfer.

How do German and English differ regarding inversion?

German is characterized by a more flexible word order where inversion is a productive, less marked feature, whereas English is more rigid, making inversion a highly marked phenomenon.

Why did the study categorize results as "indecisive" or "under reserve"?

These categories were used to account for instances where participants identified an error but could not correctly label or fix the syntactic structure, highlighting the uncertainty in learner judgements.