Facilitating adults initial L2 syntax acquisition: the role of cross-linguistic syntactic similarity and lexical processing

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how to facilitate adults¿ initial L2 syntax acquisition, focusing on the role of cross-linguistic syntactic similarity and lexical processing. In five behavioural experiments, I explore how complete beginner L2 learners learn cross-linguistically similar vs. dissimilar L2 structures (Experiment 1 and Experiment 2) and how the acquisition of these structures is influenced by word frequency (Experiment 2 vs. Experiment 3) and cognateness (Experiment 4 and Experiment 5). The MOGUL framework (Sharwood Smith & Truscott, 2014) comprehensively accounts for first and second language processing and acquisition. In this thesis, I elaborate on how MOGUL could postulate hypotheses about the facilitative role of cross-linguistic syntactic similarity and lexical processing in initial L2 syntax acquisition and I provide experimental evidence to support them