L1 effects on the emergence of ESL sentence processing skills of Chinese and Korean ESL learners

Abstract

This study examines the emergence of lower-level ESL sentence processing skills involved in integrating English words into predicate structures on-line. The aim of the present study is to examine how the L1 phrase structure and corresponding L1 word integration skills of ESL learners influence their corresponding ESL sentence processing skills in an on-line English sentence reading task. The study examined the English predicate and verb phrase processing skills of a group of Chinese ESL learners whose language has right-branching L1 verb phrase structures (head-complement word order) and a group of proficiency-matched Korean ESL learners whose native language only allows left-branching L1 verb phrase structures (i.e., complement-head word order). The Chinese ESL group (n = 20) was significantly faster than the Korean ESL group (n = 18) in reading and integrating direct object nouns into English predicate phrase structures, though there were no significant differences comprehending the sentences. In addition, the Chinese ESL group was significantly more accurate in reading and comprehending transitive sentences in which the direct objects had an embedded relative clause. The results suggest that L1 word integration skills influence and shape the emergence of on-line ESL word integration skills.

Decontextualized language production in two languages: An investigation of children's word definition skills in Korean and English

“…Such late development of definition forms may be related to the typologically and syntactically very distinguished pair of languages that the Korean–English bilingual children were acquiring. In this respect, this particular finding also conforms to previous studies on the less readily made syntactic transfer of Korean English learners’ relative clauses in the two languages (Comrie, 2007; Fender, 2008). As construction of relative clauses in English is a late development for Korean English learners, possibly because of the linguistic differences between their L1 and L2 (Choi, 2007; Lee, 2005), producing word definitions that conform to the conventional Aristotelian form may have been challenging despite their awareness of conventional formal definitions.…”

“…Furthermore, it has been argued that language distance is an important source of such language transfer (Chan, 2004). In this respect, studies have identified L1 effects on L2 relative clause construction in relation to typological differences between the two languages (Comrie, 2007; Fender, 2008). While syntactic transfer of relative clause formation was easily identified among Chinese–English bilinguals (Chan, 2004; Yip & Matthews, 2000), “surprisingly little transfer” was observed in bilinguals acquiring two distant languages such as Japanese and Korean English learners (Comrie, 2007; Fender, 2008).…”

“…In this respect, studies have identified L1 effects on L2 relative clause construction in relation to typological differences between the two languages (Comrie, 2007; Fender, 2008). While syntactic transfer of relative clause formation was easily identified among Chinese–English bilinguals (Chan, 2004; Yip & Matthews, 2000), “surprisingly little transfer” was observed in bilinguals acquiring two distant languages such as Japanese and Korean English learners (Comrie, 2007; Fender, 2008). Thus, although Ordóñez and colleagues (2002) argued that bilingual children who have control over constructing formal definitions with appropriate superordinate forms in L1 may find it easier to do so in L2, bilinguals acquiring two distant languages may not be able to take advantage of such skills in L1, if there are marked syntactic differences in constructing formal definitions in the two languages.…”

Understanding meaning expression parable by an Indian students

“…According to Eender (2008), in the process of learning and mastering L2, the process of learning B2 does not occur directly to non-native speakers as they do not master all the skills in B2, such as mastering L1 and face great constraints as a result of the influence of L1. Corder (1981) is of the view that L2 learning begins after most of the child's maturation process is completed because it is part of the child's maturation process.…”