Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question in...

Research

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed: Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Published

Standard

To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed: Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese. / Rothman, Jason; Iverson, Michael.
In: Journal of Portuguese Linguistics, Vol. 6, No. 2, 31.12.2007, p. 3-28.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Rothman, J & Iverson, M 2007, 'To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed: Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese.', Journal of Portuguese Linguistics, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 3-28. https://doi.org/10.5334/jpl.138

APA

Rothman, J., & Iverson, M. (2007). To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed: Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese. Journal of Portuguese Linguistics, 6(2), 3-28. https://doi.org/10.5334/jpl.138

Vancouver

Rothman J, Iverson M. To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed: Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese. Journal of Portuguese Linguistics. 2007 Dec 31;6(2):3-28. doi: 10.5334/jpl.138

Author

Rothman, Jason ; Iverson, Michael. / To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed : Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese. In: Journal of Portuguese Linguistics. 2007 ; Vol. 6, No. 2. pp. 3-28.

Bibtex

@article{e4972dc88e8344e6abf27ab9ed4ad522,
title = "To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed: Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese.",
abstract = "In light of the predictions of two competing approaches to adult L2 acquisition – Full Access (FA) (e.g., White 1989, 2003; Schwartz & Sprouse 1996) and Failed Features (FF) (e.g., Hawkins & Chan 1997; Liceras & D{\'i}az, 1999) – the present study examines the acquisition of inflected infinitives by English and Spanish/English bilingual adult learners of L2 Portuguese. Target-like acquisition of inflected infinitives requires the resetting of both a syntactic parameter (the Null Subject Parameter) and a morphological parameter (the Infl-parameter) for these learners. Since FF approaches maintain a post-critical period failure to acquire new L2 features lacking from the L1, target-like acquisition is predicted to not be possible. Conversely, FA approaches, which maintain adult parameter resetting is possible, predict that native-like competence of inflected infinitives is attainable, but not inevitably so. The data we present support FA approaches, demonstrating that advanced adult learners achieve native-like interpretative knowledge of Portuguese inflected infinitives. We also consider the role of L1 transfer and its possible implications, as they differ for both groups.",
author = "Jason Rothman and Michael Iverson",
year = "2007",
month = dec,
day = "31",
doi = "10.5334/jpl.138",
language = "English",
volume = "6",
pages = "3--28",
journal = "Journal of Portuguese Linguistics",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - To Inflect or not to Inflect is the question indeed

T2 - Infinitives in Second Language (L2) Portuguese.

AU - Rothman, Jason

AU - Iverson, Michael

PY - 2007/12/31

Y1 - 2007/12/31

N2 - In light of the predictions of two competing approaches to adult L2 acquisition – Full Access (FA) (e.g., White 1989, 2003; Schwartz & Sprouse 1996) and Failed Features (FF) (e.g., Hawkins & Chan 1997; Liceras & Díaz, 1999) – the present study examines the acquisition of inflected infinitives by English and Spanish/English bilingual adult learners of L2 Portuguese. Target-like acquisition of inflected infinitives requires the resetting of both a syntactic parameter (the Null Subject Parameter) and a morphological parameter (the Infl-parameter) for these learners. Since FF approaches maintain a post-critical period failure to acquire new L2 features lacking from the L1, target-like acquisition is predicted to not be possible. Conversely, FA approaches, which maintain adult parameter resetting is possible, predict that native-like competence of inflected infinitives is attainable, but not inevitably so. The data we present support FA approaches, demonstrating that advanced adult learners achieve native-like interpretative knowledge of Portuguese inflected infinitives. We also consider the role of L1 transfer and its possible implications, as they differ for both groups.

AB - In light of the predictions of two competing approaches to adult L2 acquisition – Full Access (FA) (e.g., White 1989, 2003; Schwartz & Sprouse 1996) and Failed Features (FF) (e.g., Hawkins & Chan 1997; Liceras & Díaz, 1999) – the present study examines the acquisition of inflected infinitives by English and Spanish/English bilingual adult learners of L2 Portuguese. Target-like acquisition of inflected infinitives requires the resetting of both a syntactic parameter (the Null Subject Parameter) and a morphological parameter (the Infl-parameter) for these learners. Since FF approaches maintain a post-critical period failure to acquire new L2 features lacking from the L1, target-like acquisition is predicted to not be possible. Conversely, FA approaches, which maintain adult parameter resetting is possible, predict that native-like competence of inflected infinitives is attainable, but not inevitably so. The data we present support FA approaches, demonstrating that advanced adult learners achieve native-like interpretative knowledge of Portuguese inflected infinitives. We also consider the role of L1 transfer and its possible implications, as they differ for both groups.

U2 - 10.5334/jpl.138

DO - 10.5334/jpl.138

M3 - Journal article

VL - 6

SP - 3

EP - 28

JO - Journal of Portuguese Linguistics

JF - Journal of Portuguese Linguistics

IS - 2

ER -