Bilingual acquisition as the locus of syntactic change

Pub Date : 2024-04-01 DOI:10.1515/probus-2024-2004
Jürgen M. Meisel
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Abstract

Some grammatical phenomena are more resistant to diachronic change than others. The syntactic core is particularly resilient, raising the question why this is the case and what causes the least vulnerable properties to change. Since fundamental alterations of grammars do not occur across the lifespan of adults, first language acquisition is commonly considered to be the main locus of syntactic change. Under the assumption that language contact leads to cross-linguistic interaction, early bilinguals have been claimed to be the main agents of change. I revisit this debate, focusing on head directionality and V2. Summaries of studies of various acquisition types lead to the conclusion that reanalysis in core syntax does not happen in the course of neither monolingual nor bilingual L1 acquisition. Contrary to hypotheses entertained in diachronic linguistics, neither language contact nor structural ambiguity/complexity has this effect. For core properties to change in L1, the triggering information must be contained in the input. Insufficient exposure, as in heritage language acquisition, can cause morphosyntactic change, though not in the syntactic core. Only second language acquisition exhibits such effects. L2 learners are thus the most likely agents of fundamental syntactic change. I conclude that explanations of the resilience of syntactic phenomena cannot rely exclusively on structural aspects. It results from an interaction of syntactic and developmental factors, defined by grammatical constraint, acquisition principles, and processing demands.
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双语习得是句法变化的源泉
有些语法现象比其他语法现象更能抵御非同步变化。句法的核心部分尤其具有抵抗力,这就提出了一个问题:为什么会出现这种情况?由于语法的根本变化不会在成人的一生中发生,第一语言习得通常被认为是句法变化的主要地点。在语言接触导致跨语言互动的假设下,早期双语者被认为是变化的主要推动者。我将重新讨论这一争论,重点是头的指向性和 V2。对各种习得类型的研究总结得出的结论是,在单语或双语第一语言习得过程中,核心句法的重新分析都不会发生。与对时语言学的假设相反,语言接触或结构模糊性/复杂性都不会产生这种影响。要使核心属性在 L1 中发生变化,触发信息必须包含在输入中。接触不足,如在遗产语言习得中,会引起形态句法的变化,但不会引起句法核心的变化。只有第二语言习得才会产生这种效果。因此,第二语言学习者最有可能引起句法的根本变化。我的结论是,对句法现象复原力的解释不能完全依赖于结构方面。它是句法因素和发展因素相互作用的结果,这些因素由语法限制、习得原则和加工要求所决定。
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