ENGL 5060

Second Language Acquisition
Spring 2000

Lynn Eubank
Auditorium Building 116
(Graduate Studies in English)
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3-4 or by appointment
eubank@unt.edu
www.engl.unt.edu/~leubank

The purpose of linguistics research in second-language acquisition (SLA) is to ascertain a theory of second-language (L2) knowledge, thereby contributing to an overall theory of mind (see related statements from the International Commission on Second Language Acquisition). In the first part of this course, we review work that has lead to the questions being asked today; for the remainder of the course, we not only examine very recent research, but also do original, experimental research on predictions drawn from linguistic theory.

Your course grade will be determined as follows:

Two Article and Discussion Summaries to Bulletin Board 20%

General Discussion Posts to Bulletin Board 20%

Experimental Research Paper (hard copy) 40%

Bibliography on Experimental Topic 20%

The Research Paper reports findings from an experiment on L2 knowledge that you conduct (see Projects). Note that while several students will cooperate to conduct each experiment, each student will write a separate report. The paper itself should be some 15-20 pages in length and in APA style. Papers are due at the beginning of the final examinations week (see day-by-day plan). Grading will be based evenly on content and academic form.

The Bibliography is a list of articles relevant to the experimental research of the project you take part in. Articles for the bibliography may be located in Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts. This bibliography is due early in the semester (see day-by-day plan).

The Article and Discussion Summaries comprise merely short summaries (around two pages; 10k max) of one of the articles we read along with significant points and/or questions we posed about it in the class discussion. You post each of your two summaries to the Bulletin Board.

The General Discussion Posts give you the opportunity to take part in discussions on the Bulletin Board. These discussions may deal with any aspect of the course, including questions or points you wish to pose about individual readings or discussions, questions/points about other people’s Article and Discussion Summaries, questions/points you have about other people’s Experimental Research Progress Updates, and so forth.

You will receive two grades for your General Discussion Posts, one at midterm and the other at the end of the semester. For each (relevant) post, you receive 5 points toward one of the two grades. Hence, in order to receive a grade of "A" on posts for the first half of the semester, you will need to post at least 18 times prior to midterm (because 18X5=90); the same applies again to the second half. Required reading:

White, L. (1989). Universal Grammar and second language acquisition. John Benjamins.
Library and On-line Readings for Second Language Acquisition.

Readings for Some:
Ellis, R. (1998). Second language acquisition. Oxford.
(First 90 pages only; for those with no background in SLA, should be studied in first week of classes)
Coursebook for Linguistics, Chapter Six
(For those with no background in formal syntax, should be studied as soon as possible)

Day-by-Day Plan

(readings with an asterisk are those for Bulletin Board summaries)

Class	Date	Topic	Reading
1	J20	Introduction: 1970s and early 1980s	(Ellis)
2	J27	Linguistic Theory and Language Acquisition Subscribe to Bulletin Board today!	White, Ch. 1-2; Coursebook Chapter 5
3	F3	Logical Problem of L2 Acquisition	White, Ch. 3-4
4	F10	Principles, Parameters, Markedness & Learnability	White, Ch. 5-7
5	F17	Initial State: Minimal Trees & FT/FH Research Bibliographies due today!	Vainikka & Young-Scholten; Schwartz & Sprouse 94
6	F24	Verb raising ; Clitics	White 1992; White 1996
7	M2	Local Impairment	Beck; Eubank et al.
8	M9	Binding Theory	MacLaughlin; Wells
9	M23	Argument structure; Aspect	Sawyer; Slabakova
10	M30	Aspect; Level-ordered morphology	Beck & Eubank; Clahsen
11	A6	OI in L2	Prevost; Prevost & White
12	A13	OI in L2; Data, Evidence, Rules	Eubank & Beck; Beck, Schwartz & Eubank
13	A20	Critical Period	Johnson & Newport; Eubank & Gregg
14	A27	Adults and Creolization; UG Colloquium 98	*Hudson & Newport; White; Bley-Vroman; Meisel
15	M4	UG Colloquium 98	Carroll; Schwartz & Sprouse; Gregg
16	M8	Turn in Research Papers!

Reserve and On-Line Readings

Readings with an asterisk are those for Bulletin Board summaries.

Click here to see the Library Reserve Form that I took to the library.

Beck, M.-L. 1998. L2 acquisition and obligatory head movement. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 20: 311-348. (in stacks)

Beck, M.-L. & L. Eubank. 1999. Abstract features in L2 competence. Boston University Converence on Language Development 23. (volume on reserve)

Beck, M.-L., B. Schwartz & L. Eubank. Data, evidence and rules. In L. Eubank, L. Selinker & M. Sharwood Smith (Eds.), The current state of interlanguage. (personal copy on reserve)

Bley-Vroman, R. 1998. Universal Grammar in second language acquisition: Can we have our cake and eat it too? UG Colloquium, SLRF 1998.

Carroll, S. 1998. UG access in L2 acquisition: Reassessing the question. UG Colloquium, SLRF 1998.

Clahsen, H. 1995. German plurals in adult second language development: Evidence for a dual-mechanism model of inflection. In L. Eubank, L. Selinker & M. Sharwood Smith (Eds.), The current state of interlanguage. (personal copy on reserve)

Coursebook, Chapter 5. Considering Linguistic Knowledge.

Coursebook, Chapter 6. Syntax.

Eubank, L., J. Bischof, A. Huffstutler, P. Leek & C. West. 1997. "Tom eats slowly cooked eggs." Language Acquisition 6:171-199. (in stacks)

Eubank, L. & M.-L. Beck. 1998. OI effects in adult L2 acquisition. Boston University Converence on Language Development 22. (volume on reserve)

Eubank, L. & K. Gregg. 1999. Critical periods and (second) language acquisition: Divide et impera. In D. Birdsong (ed.), Second language acquisition and the critical period hypothesis. (volume on reserve)

Gregg, K. 1998. Access to what? Access by what? UG Colloquium, SLRF 1998.

Hudson, C. & E. Newport. 1999. Creolization: Could adults really have done it all? Boston University Converence on Language Development 23. (volume on reserve)

Johnson & Newport. 1991. Critical period effects on universal properties of language: The status of subjacency in second language acquisition. Cognition39:215-258. (in stacks)

McLaughlin, D. 1998. The acquisition of the morphosyntax of English reflexives by non-native speakers. In Beck (ed.) Morphology and its interfaces in L2 knowledge. (volume on reserve)

Meisel, J. 1998. Revisiting Universal Grammar. UG Colloquium, SLRF 1998.

Prevost, P. 1997. Truncation and root infinitives in second language acquisition of French. Boston University Converence on Language Development 21. (volume on reserve)

Prevost, P. & L. White. 1999. Finiteness and variability in SLA: More evidence for missing surface inflection. Boston University Converence on Language Development 23. (volume on reserve)

Sawyer, M. 1996. L1 and L2 sensitivity to semantic constraints on argument structure. Boston University Converence on Language Development 20. (volume on reserve)

Schwartz, B. D. & R. Sprouse. 1994. Word order and nominative case in nonnative language acquisition. In Hoekstra & Schwartz (eds.), Language acquisition studies in generative grammar. (volume on reserve)

Schwartz, B. D. & R. Sprouse. 1998. Back to basics in generative second language acquisition research. UG Colloquium, SLRF 1998.

Slabakova, R. 1997. L2 acquisition of the null telic morpheme. Boston University Converence on Language Development 21. (volume on reserve)

Vainikka, A. & M. Young-Scholten. 1998. Morphosyntactic triggers in adult SLA. In Beck (ed.), Morphology and its interfaces in L2 knowledge. (volume on reserve)

Wells, T. 1998. L2 acquisition of English binding domains. In Beck (ed.), Morphology and its interfaces in L2 knowledge. (volume on reserve)

White, L. 1992. Long and short verb movement in second language acquisition. Canadian Journal of Linguistics 38: 273-286. (in stacks)

White, L. 1996. Clitics in L2 French. In Clahsen (ed.), Generative perspectives on language acquisition. (volume on reserve)

White, L. 1998. Universal Grammar in second language acquisition: The nature of interlanguage representation. UG Colloquium, SLRF 1998.

Statement on Disabilities

In accordance with the terms and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Second 504, Rehabilitation Act, I will cooperate with the Office of Disability Accommodation to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. If you have a disability for which you will require accommodation under the terms of these acts, please discuss your needs with me during office hours or present a written request to me after class before the fourth class day.

If you have not registered with ODA, I encourage you to do so.

Essential abilities for this course include reading, writing, computer use, and library utilization.

Two Article and Discussion Summaries to Bulletin Board	20%
General Discussion Posts to Bulletin Board	20%
Experimental Research Paper (hard copy)	40%
Bibliography on Experimental Topic	20%