Directionality of difficulty in second language acquisition of Chinese and English
This thesis is concerned with the investigation of directionality of difficulty in second language acquisition (SLA) by Chinese-speaking learners learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and by English-speaking learners learning Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) . Chinese allows both subject PRO in finite clauses and object pro. However, subject PRO in finite clauses and object pro give rise to ungrammaticality in English. Unlike Chinese, in which topics can be base-generated, English does not allow a base-generated topic. Chinese and English are also different in that while English reflexives can only take a local subject in finite clauses as their antecedent (thus a short-distance reflexive), the Chinese reflexive ziji can take the matrix subject as well as the embedded subject as its antecedent (thus a long-distance reflexive) . With respect to these differences between the two languages, our focus is on whether it is more difficult for CFL learners to acquire subject PRO, object pro, base-generated topics and the long-distance reflexive in the acquisition of Chinese than for EFL learners to unlearn subject PRO, object pro, base-generated topics and the long-distance reflexive in the acquisition of
Yuan, Boping
Chinese language ; Interlanguage (Language learning) ; Language transfer (Language learning) ; Second language acquisition
Directionality of difficulty in second language acquisition of Chinese and English. This thesis is concerned with the investigation of directionality of difficulty in second language acquisition (SLA) by Chinese-speaking learners learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and by English-speaking learners learning Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) . Chinese allows both subject PRO in finite clauses and object pro. However, subject PRO in finite clauses and object pro give rise to ungrammaticality in English. Unlike Chinese, in which topics can be base-generated, English does not allow a base-generated topic. Chinese and English are also different in that while English reflexives can only take a local subject in finite clauses as their antecedent (thus a short-distance reflexive), the Chinese reflexive ziji can take the matrix subject as well as the embedded subject as its antecedent (thus a long-distance reflexive) . With respect to these differences between the two languages, our focus is on whether it is more difficult for CFL learners to acquire subject PRO, object pro, base-generated topics and the long-distance reflexive in the acquisition of Chinese than for EFL learners to unlearn subject PRO, object pro, base-generated topics and the long-distance reflexive in the acquisition of
directionality difficulty second_language_acquisition chinese_english concerned investigation directionality difficulty second_language_acquisition_sla chinese speaking_learner learn_english foreign_language efl english_speaking learner_learn chinese foreign_language chinese allows subject pro finite_clause object pro however subject pro finite_clause object pro give_rise english unlike chinese topic base generated english allow base generated topic chinese_english also different english reflexive take local subject finite_clause antecedent thus short distance reflexive chinese reflexive take matrix subject well embed subject antecedent thus long_distance reflexive respect difference_two language focus whether difficult learner acquire subject pro object pro base generated topic long_distance reflexive acquisition chinese efl_learner subject pro object pro base generated topic long_distance reflexive acquisition