The Acquisition of the Easy-to-V Structure by Korean Adult Learners of English: What Influences Their Interpretive Behavior?

Abstract

Much research in second language acquisition has been carried out investigating a learner's linguistic system while focusing on only a single linguistic level without reference to the function of other linguistic elements. Considering how one acquires a language, we cannot fail to include semantics and pragmatics as well as syntax since all three simultaneously influence the learner's competence and performance in the new language. Gass (1989) claims that a composite picture of the nature of second language acquisition must include studies investigating the simultaneous acquisition of grammatical components. In this regard, the present study is intended to scrutinize the sentence-processing strategies of Korean adult learners of English emphasizing the ways in which they interpret the easy-to-V structure sentences. In order to broaden our understanding of the acquisition of the complex syntactical structure which appears to be a likely candidate for late acquisition, this study takes into consideration a semantic approach as well as a syntactic approach to language acquisition takirrg the competition model (Bates & MacWhinney, 1982; MacWhinney, 1987a; MacWhirrney & Bates, 1989) as its basis.