Abstract
The experiment presented in this research is targeting a ‘positional’ stage of a ‘modular’ model of speech production originally proposed by Levelt (1989), Bock & Levelt (1994), where selected lemmas are inserted into syntactic frames. Results suggest a difference between L1 and L2 English speakers at the positional stage. While this might suggest that the speech planning process is different in native and non-native speakers, an alternative view is also proposed that the observed differences are the result of differences in the way that linguistic forms are stored, rather than a fundamental difference in the way that speech is planned. This result indicates main verb, copula be & local dependency effect are the three elements that affect the realization of English subject-verb agreement, and helps us locate the phase where L2 subject-verb agreement errors happen.
About the authors
Yi Ma is Lecturer of English (applied linguistics) at Foshan University. His research efforts have focused on second language acquisition, psycholinguistic and second language production mechanism.
Yige Zou is Associate Professor of English (applied linguistics) at Foshan University. His research efforts have focused on second language acquisition and language policy.
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Appendix
Example | mainV | Adj | QmainV | QAdj | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Anim | The guest | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Anim | The guests | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
Inan | The photo | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
Inan | The photo | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
N of N | Anim-anim | The guest of the student | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
The guests of the student | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
The guest of students | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
The guests of the students | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
Anim-inan | The director of the film | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
The directors of the film | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
The director of the films | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
The directors of the films | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
Inan-anim | The picture of the teacher | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
The pictures of the teacher | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
The picture of the teachers | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
The pictures of the teachers | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
Inan-inan | The photo of the hotel | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
The photos of the hotel | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
The photo of the hotels | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
Long local N | Anim-anim | The photos of the hotels The guest of the young friendly students | 2 2 | 2 2 | 4 4 | ||
Anim-inan | The director of the short, interesting films | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
Inan-anim | The picture of the tall, smiling teachers | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
Questions | Inan-inan Anim-anim | The photo of the small, traditional hotels The guest of the students | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 4 |
Anim-inan | The director of the films | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
Inan-anim | The picture of the teachers | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
Inan-inan | The photo of the hotels | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
Total | 128 |
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