Meaning in the Second Language

Roumyana Slabakova

Published by De Gruyter Mouton 2008

Meaning in the Second Language

Roumyana Slabakova

Volume 34 in the series Studies on Language Acquisition [SOLA]

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110211511

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book reviews recent research on the second language acquisition of meaning with a view of establishing whether there is a critical period for the acquisition of compositional semantics. A modular approach to language architecture is assumed. The book addresses the Critical Period Hypothesis by examining the positive side of language development: it demonstrates which modules of the grammar are easy to acquire and are not subject to age effects. The Bottleneck Hypothesis is proposed, which argues that inflectional morphology and its features present the most formidable challenge, while syntax and phrasal semantics pose less difficulty to learners. Findings from the neurofunctional imaging (PET, fMRI) and electrophysiology (ERPs) of L2 comprehension are reviewed and critically examined. Since it is argued that experimental tasks in those studies are mostly in need of linguistic refinement, evidence from behavioral studies of L2 acquisition of semantics are brought to bear on comprehension modeling. Learning situations are divided into two types: those presenting learners with complex syntax, but simple semantics; and those offering complex semantic mismatches in simple syntactic contexts. The numerous studies of both types reviewed in the book indicate that there is no barrier to ultimate success in the acquisition of phrasal semantics.

Author / Editor information

Roumyana Slabakova, University of Iowa, USA.

Reviews

"The valuable contribution of this monograph to the acquisition of meaning in a second language is timely after initial experimental studies have probed both complex semantics (e.g. Montrul and Slabakova, 2003) and simple semantics (e.g.Dekydtspotter, 2001). Slabakova's critical review and proposal of the Bottleneck Hypothesis will allow researchers to take stock of current developments in the field. This is a valuable contribution to the field of language acquisition and will be of significant interest to researchers and graduate students."
Kevin McManus in: Linguist List 20.2378

Topics

Frontmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	i
Table of contents Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Chapter 1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2. Architecture of the language faculty Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
Chapter 3. Psycholinguistic models of sentence comprehension Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	46
Chapter 4. What are imaging and ERP studies of bilinguals really testing? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	70
Chapter 5. The Bottleneck Hypothesis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	84
Chapter 6. Evidence from behavioral studies: Simple Syntax–Complex Semantics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	121
Chapter 7. Evidence from behavioral studies: Complex Syntax–Simple Semantics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	200
Chapter 8. Implications Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
Backmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	284

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
Audience: Reasearch Libraries, Researchers and Advanced Students of Linguistics (Psycholinguistics, Language Acquisition) and Psychologists with an Interest in Language Acquisition.
Pages
- Front matter: 11
- Main content: 326
Keywords: Second language acquisition; meaning.

eBook

Published: December 10, 2008
ISBN: 9783110211511

Hardcover

Published: October 20, 2008
ISBN: 9783110203226