Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Acquisition of Aspect in a Second Language: a Bidirectional Study of Learners of Japanese and English

Cuny Graduate School University Center, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Gita Martohardjono, Ms. Alison Gabriele will conduct a series of experiments for her doctoral dissertation on the acquisition of aspect by second language learners of Japanese and English. The goal of this research is to investigate the degree to which grammatical properties of the first language aid or impede second language acquisition. One of the most difficult challenges facing a learner of a second language is successful interpretation of markers of tense and aspect. While tense places a particular event in time, aspect refers to the internal temporal properties of an event, such as whether an event is ongoing or whether it has been completed. In a controlled experimental study, classroom learners of both Japanese and English will be tested on three areas in which aspectual notions are encoded: grammatical morphology (for example, the progressive be+ing), complex predicates (such as the particle up in eat the pizza up) and temporal adverbs (such as yesterday). The bidirectional design of the experiment will provide insight into the role the native language plays in second language acquisition. Learners at different levels of proficiency (from intermediate to near-native) will be tested in order to find out at what point in development learners successfully interpret these structures, and whether aspect is eventually fully acquired in L2 acquisition. This research is significant for both language pedagogy and the theory of second language acquisition. This study will provide insight into how second language learners acquire meaning, in what ways their knowledge differs from the knowledge of native speakers, and why this domain of language is so difficult to acquire. The results of projects such as this one can be used to develop guidelines for effectively teaching Japanese as a foreign language. Finally, this project will initiate a sustained collaboration between the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City and Miyagi Gakuin Women's University in Sendai, Japan, where half of the experimental studies will be conducted.