On the Role of Input in Second Language Acquisition: The Case of French Strong Pronouns

Abstract

This study examined the acquisition of a linguistic property that is underrepresented in the input available to second language (L2) learners, namely, interpretation of French strong pronouns as [–animate]. To understand how pronouns are used and interpreted and how this topic is treated in pedagogical grammars, three types of analyses were conducted: corpus analysis, review of pedagogical materials, and experimental study with native and L2 speakers of French. Corpus data suggested that French strong pronouns were not inherently specified as [+animate] and that native speakers used these forms to refer to inanimate objects, at least when strong pronouns were used as objects of prepositions. Additionally, experimental data revealed that advanced L2 speakers also accepted inanimate interpretations. Taken together, the findings suggested that targetlike interpretation of pronouns can be acquired despite the scarcity of input, negative transfer from learners’ first language, and lack of explicit instruction of the target property.

A Psycholinguistic Perspective on Sentence Understanding for Second Language Learners

“…The findings of this study offer valuable insights into bridging theoretical perspectives on psycholinguistic variables and their practical implications for second-language sentence comprehension. Shimanskaya's research on the role of linguistic exposure in SLA aligns with studies on sentence complexity, underscoring how syntactic variations significantly influence learners' processing efficiency [15]. The present study extends this understanding by empirically demonstrating that syntactic complexities, such as embedded clauses, pose significant challenges for learners, contributing to the theoretical discourse on sentence processing.…”

The Role of Input in Second Language Acquisition: An Overview of Four Theories

“…From this plethora of research, it can be summarised that SLA simply cannot take place without exposing the learners to the target language through input (Gass, 1997, Mackey & Gass 2015. For example, (VanPatten & Williams, 2007, Patten and Benati, 2010, Shimanskaya, 2018 have highlighted that language input is significant for language learners to build their L2 competence as well as is considered to be a primary source of mental representation of the language. Therefore, the significance and the role of language input have been supported by a number of languages learning theories such as the behaviourist, mentalist, and interactionist theories, Ellis (2008).…”