A cross-linguistic study of the lexis of locomotion in learners of second language English
The lexical development of second language learners can be seen to involve them in a process of recategorization. This is also a lifelong, though progressively attenuated, feature in the first language. For the second language learner, however, the process is complicated by the possibility of lexico-semantic interaction between the first and later languages learned. The lexical focus of the study is on the semantic domain of locomotion, which is seen in cognitive semantic terms as a realization of the Source-Path-Goal schema. Talmy's typology of motion events provides the linguistic framework for the research programme. According to this typology, languages will tend to have a characteristic verb lexicalization pattern in which motion is conflated with either a Path or a Manner component. The language-learning context is one of learners of English as a second language in a multilingual African country - Kenya. The subjects in the study were drawn from three different first language communities - Luo, Nandi and Lunyore - the first two being Nilotic languages and the third a Bantu language. There were also two levels of L2 proficiency - intermediate and advanced. Four tasks were used to investigate the mental
Hill, David J.
A cross-linguistic study of the lexis of locomotion in learners of second language English. The lexical development of second language learners can be seen to involve them in a process of recategorization. This is also a lifelong, though progressively attenuated, feature in the first language. For the second language learner, however, the process is complicated by the possibility of lexico-semantic interaction between the first and later languages learned. The lexical focus of the study is on the semantic domain of locomotion, which is seen in cognitive semantic terms as a realization of the Source-Path-Goal schema. Talmy's typology of motion events provides the linguistic framework for the research programme. According to this typology, languages will tend to have a characteristic verb lexicalization pattern in which motion is conflated with either a Path or a Manner component. The language-learning context is one of learners of English as a second language in a multilingual African country - Kenya. The subjects in the study were drawn from three different first language communities - Luo, Nandi and Lunyore - the first two being Nilotic languages and the third a Bantu language. There were also two levels of L2 proficiency - intermediate and advanced. Four tasks were used to investigate the mental
cross_linguistic study lexis learner second_language english lexical development second_language_learner see involve process also lifelong though progressively feature first_language second_language_learner however process complicate possibility semantic interaction first later language_learn lexical focus study semantic domain see cognitive semantic term realization source path goal schema talmy typology motion_event provide linguistic_framework programme according typology languages tend characteristic verb pattern motion conflate either path manner component language_learning context learners_english second_language multilingual african country kenya subject study_draw three_different first_language community first language third bantu_language also level_proficiency intermediate advance task use_investigate mental