Comparing French liaison acquisition in L1 children and L2 adults

In the study of liaison acquisition, a key line of inquiry has focused on potential differences and similarities between L1 and L2 French speakers. However, such a comparison encounters a number of difficulties such as matching learners in terms of language exposure, age, and learning abilities. This study addresses these issues based on the analysis of French liaison in a series of experimental tasks performed by L1 children aged two to six, and by adult Korean learners of French as a foreign language. Results show that, for both groups, acquisition of categorical liaison precedes acquisition of variable liaison. However, when L1 and L2 learners are matched individually based on the results of a production task, they differ in a judgment task involving the perception of liaison. More specifically, the ability to judge the correctness of liaison precedes the ability to produce it in L2 learners, but not in L1 children. The findings provide a strong indication that L2 learners follow a specific process when acquiring liaison.