Ai-li Hsin
National Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan
Abstract
We explored the interlanguage variations and development by Chinese EFL learners of their acquisition of determiner phrases (DP) in the argument position in an English sentence of four types—definite, specific, indefinite and generic references. Ninety subjects, classified according to their proficiency in English at four levels based on their duration of learning English, participated in this project. They were guided to complete a task of inserting a DP into a sentence, and data were then gathered for quantitative analysis. According to a cross-linguistic comparison of the reference systems and their representations in these two languages, we found that acquisition errors basically derive initially from the discrepant representing systems between the languages, and from the lack of attention to the contextual information and requirement of syntactic agreement in the target language in subsequent stages. Interlanguage development reveals that L1 transfer exists at the initial stage and then gradually shifts to development errors such as overuse of articles a and the. The order of acquisition of DP of the four types is roughly definite > [signifying before] specific > indefinite > generic; acquisition follows an ascending curve rising steeply at the beginning and then gradually leveling off towards the end.
Key Words: DP acquisition, argument, definiteness, referential system, article
台灣英語學習者習得英語限定詞組之初探
忻愛莉
國立高雄師範大學英語學系
摘要
我們探討了台灣的學生們在英語句型的四種類型（限定、殊指、非限定以及泛指）中，其限定詞組習得的中介語差異以及其發展。九十名對象參與此研究，並且根據他/她們的英語學習的時間，區分為四個英語能力組別。他/她們要完成將一限定詞組填入一個句子中的練習，而所蒐集到的資料將進行量化分析。透過一跨語言性的指涉系統分析以及其在兩語言中的表徵，我們發現習得上所發生的錯誤來自於語言之間的表徵系統不同、以及在後續的步驟裡缺乏對情境因素和目標語之句法的注意。中介語的發展顯示在初期受到第一語言的轉化影響，接下來就逐漸轉為發展上的錯誤，如過度使用冠詞a跟the。四種限定詞組的習得順序大致為限定＞〔顯著先於〕殊指＞非限定＞泛指。習得初期隨著一上升曲線快速成長，然後逐漸趨於水平到結束。
關鍵詞: 限定詞組的習得、辯論/論證、限定、指涉系統、冠詞
 A Preliminary Study of English DP Acquisition by Chinese EFL Learners in Taiwan | [4-2-3] | 279 kB |