The Roles of L1 Influence and Lexical Aspect in the Acquisition of Temporal Morphology

Abstract

Two cross-sectional studies (N = 70; N = 91) used a replication design to investigate the degree to which adult Francophone ESL learners' use of tense/aspect markers in past contexts supported the predictions of the aspect hypothesis (Andersen & Shirai, 1994;Bardovi-Harlig, 1994) and the degree to which it showed L1 influence. Consistent with the aspect hypothesis, the learners were significantly more successful in using simple past with telics, struggled most with statives, and, in their nontarget responses, preferred progressive for activities and present for statives. The role of the L1 was restricted to the learners' association of nontarget perfect (a French-influenced form) with telics. The interpretation of the findings takes into account methodological issues and developmental constraints.

Analysing Interlanguage Stages ALEs Pass through in the Acquisition of the Simple Past Tense

“…Collins (2002) investigates the different English verb forms used by French speakers. Collins (2002) observes that in places where English speakers would have used simple past, French speakers did sometimes use the present perfect or the past perfect instead of the simple past (p.85). In the context of Arab learners of English, learners will use was or were + root, simple past, agent, past participle or gerund.…”

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Roles of Lexical Aspect and L1 Transfer in Tense-Aspect Acquisition

“…The first contradictory finding that States show higher use and correct use of past markings than Activities has also been reported in previous cross-sectional studies (Bardovi-Harlig & BergstrÖm, 1996;Bardovi-Harlig & Reynolds, 1995;Collins, 2002, Ayoun & Salaberry, 2008. The former two studies did not differentiate Activities and States and subsumed them under atelic verbs regarding past marking use, so they did not treat it as counterexamples.…”

“…Collins's (2002) replication studies of Bardovi-Harlig and Reynolds (1995) with Francophone learners of English show that the perfect (similar in form but not function to the French passé composé) is the most common alternative to simple past for telics, which is the evidence of L1 influence on the acquisition pattern of tense and aspect morphology. However Ayoun and Salaberry's (2008) study from a group of 21 high school French speakers learning English in France did not confirm that their first language lead French speakers to overuse the English present perfect due to its morphological similarity with the passé composé.…”

The Quantity and Quality of Language Practice in Typical Interactive Pair/Group Tasks

“…In addition, learners initially make much more frequent use of the simple past with the class of verbs known as telics (finished, made something), which are bounded events with inherent end points. Expansion of the system involves productive use of the form with atelics, that is, activities (danced, listened to music) that have arbitrary end points and states (felt, heard, wanted) (Bardovi-Harlig, 2000;Collins, 2002Collins, , 2004.…”