Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers

This paper investigates the Italian Word Order variation in the position of subjects (S) with respect to finite predicates (V) in two adult populations: L1-Italian speakers and L1-French L2-Italian speakers. We test how discourse focus (Belletti, 2001) and a decomposed approach to Unaccusativity, i....

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Authors: Tasinato, Caterina; Sanfelici, Emanuela|||0000-0003-2592-4528
Format: Article
Publication date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:267155
Online Access:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/267155
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.5565/rev/isogloss.219
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Adult L2 acquisition
Focus
Unaccusativity Hierarchy
Word Order variation
Italian
French
Interface Hypothesis
Lexical Semantics
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author Tasinato, Caterina
author2 Sanfelici, Emanuela|||0000-0003-2592-4528
author2_role author
author_browse Sanfelici, Emanuela|||0000-0003-2592-4528
Tasinato, Caterina
author_facet Tasinato, Caterina
Sanfelici, Emanuela|||0000-0003-2592-4528
author_role author
collection Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
description This paper investigates the Italian Word Order variation in the position of subjects (S) with respect to finite predicates (V) in two adult populations: L1-Italian speakers and L1-French L2-Italian speakers. We test how discourse focus (Belletti, 2001) and a decomposed approach to Unaccusativity, i.e., Unaccusativity Hierarchy (Sorace, 2000), determine the SV/VS variation in L1 and L2 populations. The results of a forced-choice preference task show that both factors constrain the Italian word order in L1 and L2 Italian speakers: the VS order was preferred in the narrow focus and with Change of Location unaccusative verbs in both populations, although with different proportions. Overall L2 speakers chose the SV order more consistently than L1 speakers but they did so mainly with the less-core unaccusative verbs of the Unaccusativity Hierarchy. We account for these findings suggesting a return to the original version of the Interface Hypothesis (Sorace, 2005), which predicts that interface phenomena, including those at the syntax-lexicon interface, represent a vulnerable domain in L2 acquisition.
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institution Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
instname_str Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
language eng
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
oai_identifier_str oai:ddd.uab.cat:267155
publishDate 2022
publishDateSort 2022
reponame_str Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
spelling Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers the role of Focus and the Unaccusativity Hierarchy Tasinato, Caterina Sanfelici, Emanuela|||0000-0003-2592-4528 Adult L2 acquisition Focus Unaccusativity Hierarchy Word Order variation Italian French Interface Hypothesis Lexical Semantics This paper investigates the Italian Word Order variation in the position of subjects (S) with respect to finite predicates (V) in two adult populations: L1-Italian speakers and L1-French L2-Italian speakers. We test how discourse focus (Belletti, 2001) and a decomposed approach to Unaccusativity, i.e., Unaccusativity Hierarchy (Sorace, 2000), determine the SV/VS variation in L1 and L2 populations. The results of a forced-choice preference task show that both factors constrain the Italian word order in L1 and L2 Italian speakers: the VS order was preferred in the narrow focus and with Change of Location unaccusative verbs in both populations, although with different proportions. Overall L2 speakers chose the SV order more consistently than L1 speakers but they did so mainly with the less-core unaccusative verbs of the Unaccusativity Hierarchy. We account for these findings suggesting a return to the original version of the Interface Hypothesis (Sorace, 2005), which predicts that interface phenomena, including those at the syntax-lexicon interface, represent a vulnerable domain in L2 acquisition. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/267155 https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.5565/rev/isogloss.219
spellingShingle Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers
Tasinato, Caterina
Adult L2 acquisition
Focus
Unaccusativity Hierarchy
Word Order variation
Italian
French
Interface Hypothesis
Lexical Semantics
title Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers
title_full Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers
title_fullStr Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers
title_full_unstemmed Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers
title_short Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers
title_sort Word Order variation in L1 and L2 Italian speakers
topic Adult L2 acquisition
Focus
Unaccusativity Hierarchy
Word Order variation
Italian
French
Interface Hypothesis
Lexical Semantics
topic_facet Adult L2 acquisition
Focus
Unaccusativity Hierarchy
Word Order variation
Italian
French
Interface Hypothesis
Lexical Semantics
url https://ddd.uab.cat/record/267155
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.5565/rev/isogloss.219