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OverviewThis book examines child second language acquisition within the Principles and Parameters theory of Universal Grammar (UG). Specifically, the book focuses on null-subjects in the developing grammars of children acquiring English as a second language. The book provides evidence from the longitudinal speech data of four child second language (L2) learners in order to test the predictions of a recent theory of null-subjects, namely, the Morphological Uniformity Principle (MUP). Lakshmanan argues that the child L2 acquisition data offer little or no evidence in support of the MUP’s predictions regarding a developmental relation between verb inflections and null-subjects. The evidence from these child L2 data indicates that regardless of the status of null subjects in their first language, child L2 learners of English hypothesize correctly from the very beginning that English requires subjects of tensed clauses to be obligatorily overt. The failure on the part of these learners to obey this knowledge in certain structural contexts is the result of perceptual factors that are unrelated to parameter setting. The book demonstrates the value of child second language acquisition data in evaluating specific proposals within linguistic theory for a Universal principle. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Usha Lakshmanan (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale)Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Co Imprint: John Benjamins Publishing Co Volume: 10 Weight: 0.320kg ISBN: 9789027224866ISBN 10: 9027224862 Pages: 162 Publication Date: 19 August 1994 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of Contents1. Acknowledgements; 2. 1. Syntactic Theory and Child Second Language Acquisition; 3. 2. Theoretial Framework; 4. 3. Null Subjects in Developing Grammars; 5. 4. Morphological Uniformity and Null Subjects in Child L2 Grammars; 6. 5. Discussion and Conclusions; 7. References; 8. IndexReviewsThis volume is a welcome addition to the field of second language acquisition research. Lakshmanan's use of second language acquisition data to contribute to debates in linguistic theory is particularly commendable, bolstering as it does the pivotal role second language acquisition research can play in theoretical research. A particular strength of the book is its serious consideration of individual differences in language learners and it succesfully conveys the complexity of interactions between Universal Grammar and individual learner differences. -- Susan Foster-Cohen, British Institute in Paris Author InformationTab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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