Second language syntax

Aims

Aims

The module provides a thorough introduction to issues in the development of syntactic knowledge in second language acquisition (SLA).

In addition, students will learn about key issues in experiment design and analysis in the field of SLA.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

• understand the main current theories of SLA, and their different proposals about the roles of Universal Grammar and first language knowledge in SLA;
• show how second language (L2) data are used to provide evidence for (or against) the main theories of L2 syntactic development;
• explain the significance of major SLA research findings in the context of theories of L2 syntactic development;
• give an account of techniques for investigating L2 syntactic development.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Psycholinguistics Students: Satisfactory completion of the Autumn term assessments for Language Acquisition and Syntax.

Linguistics Students: Satisfactory completion of the Autumn term assessments for Syntax.

For all students wishing to take this module, it is highly recommended that you take or audit Syntactic Theory in the same term.

Programme

Programme

Contact hours

Each week there are 1–2 lecture hours and 1 seminar hour. The seminars will involve discussion of SLA research papers, with particular focus on issues of experiment design and analysis.

Teaching programme

Week 2
Introduction: What is generative linguistic research in second language acquisition?

Week 3
Poverty of the stimulus in language acquisition theory

Week 4
Pre-Minimalism theories of second language acquisition

Week 5
Representational deficit accounts of second language acquisition

Week 6
The Feature Reassembly approach to second language acquisition

Week 7
The syntax-semantics and syntax-discourse interfaces in second language acquisition

Week 8
Review of topics and summary

Teaching materials

Recommended textbook (Note that this may not be used as the required module textbook).

• White, Lydia. 2003. Second Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar. Cambridge: CUP.

In addition, a reading pack will be assigned.

Assessment

Formative work and feedback

• Exercises
• Preparation for seminar participation and for seminar presentations is also important formative work on this module.

Summative assessment and feedback 

• 5,000 word essay