COMPARING ACCOUNTS OF ENGLISH WH-QUESTIONS ACQUISITION BY MONOLINGUALS AND BILINGUALS UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS

Abstract

The comparison of English wh-questions acquisition by monolinguals, bilinguals and EFL learners showed inter-groups similarities, which included wh-questions formulaic use, overgeneralization, non-inverted structures, archiforms, double marking of auxiliaries and past tense. The authors suggest a special role of there is/are structures in the wh-questions acquisition by EFL learners. The research results allow assuming the impact of universal factors upon the process of wh-questions acquisition irrespective of the learners’ age, onset of the bilingualism, if they acquire English as the first or the second language, or whether it is acquired in the formal or informal environment.