When more is more. L2 agreement improves when listeners can rely on both noun and verbal features
Fecha
2022Autor
Biondo, Nicoletta
Cilibrasi, Luca
Metadatos
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Biondo, N.,* & Cilibrasi, L.* (2022). When more is more. L2 agreement improves when listeners can rely on both noun and verbal features. RGG Rivista di Grammatica Generativa/Research in Generative Grammar, 44.
RGG Rivista di Grammatica Generativa/Research in Generative Grammar
RGG Rivista di Grammatica Generativa/Research in Generative Grammar
Resumen
English verbal agreement has been shown to be a particularly
challenging domain in both first and second language acquisition. In this
study, we tested the comprehension of sentences with masked and unmasked
agreement in 16 Italian children and 36 Italian adults learning
English as a second language. In the masked condition, participants were
presented with verbs starting with the phoneme /s/, making the plurality
of the noun “hidden”, and leaving the comprehension of the sentence
on the processing of the verb only (i.e., The elephants spill…). In the
unmasked condition, the verb started with a different phoneme, which
allows for comprehension to be cued by both noun and verbal features
(i.e., The elephants drink…). Results show that both children and adults
are better at comprehending when both features are available. These findings
make a case for a preference for redundant features in L2 agreement
processing by learners of English with Italian as L1.